The “Got Milk” campaign was one the most successful advertising campaigns of all time. The campaign relied on people’s ingrained belief that milk, and specifically cow’s milk, was an essential staple for every household. Indeed, billions of dollars have been spent trying to convince, reinforce, manipulate and mislead the public into believing that Cow’s milk is the perfect food for a healthy life.
One of the biggest lies the public has been fed when it comes to this heavily marketed bovine juice, is that we need milk for healthy bones.
The United States has the highest rate of dairy consumption in the world, therefore, the healthiest bones, right?
Wrong!
The United States not only has the highest rate of dairy consumption in the world, it also has one of the highest rates of osteoporosis in women over the age of 50 in the world. Australia and New Zealand have even higher rates.
Here’s why:
Although milk is rich in calcium, it is also a very rich source of the animal protein Casein.
“Authored in 1992 by researchers at Yale University School of Medicine, the report summarised data on protein intake and fracture rates taken from thirty-four separate surveys in sixteen countries that were published in twenty-nine peer-reviewed research publications. All the subjects in these surveys were women fifty years and older. It found that a very impressive 70% of the fracture rate was attributable to the consumption of animal protein.
These researchers explained that animal protein, unlike plant protein, increases the acid load on the body.
An increased acid load means that our blood and tissues become more acidic. The body does not like this acidic environment and begins to fight it. In order to neutralize the acid, the body uses calcium, which acts as a very effective base. This calcium, however, must come from somewhere. It ends up being pulled from the bones, and the calcium loss weakens them, putting them at greater risk of fracture.” (Campbell & Campbell 2006, p. 205).
We have all been led to believe, since birth, that consuming dairy products are not only good for our health but are essential to healthy growing bodies but here is evidence from multiple studies conducted in multiple countries and agreed upon in 23 peer-reviewed journals, that increased dairy consumption leads to acidosis in the body and calcium deficiency resulting in osteoporosis.
Acidosis can also lead to many other physical diseases which result from decreased alkalinity.
It is now widely recognised by the scientific and medical community that cancer thrives in an acid environment.
According to an experiment conducted by Professor T. Colin Campbell, which was published in one of the largest human nutritional studies ever conducted, “The China Study”, he found that he could turn cancer cells on and off by regulating the intake of Casein (animal protein) by the test subjects. Animal protein intake of 20% turned on cancer and decreasing to under 5% turned cancer off.
Dr. Campbell recommends humans consume a whole foods, plant-based diet for optimum health.
With the rates of osteoporosis increasing at an alarming rate globally along with the rates of dairy consumption, one must wonder if we are actually just witnessing a multi-trillion dollar global industry throwing billions of dollars into marketing and self funded scientific studies?
The tobacco industry did the same thing.
The safest milk for humans past the age of breast feeding to consume comes from plants.
There is a huge variety of plant milks available today, many fortified with calcium (however, a healthy plant-based diet should give you all the calcium you need).
So we gently encourage you to choose your milk from the plant based section and consider leaving the dairy for those in which it was intended — baby cows. If you want to be healthy, change your diet.
References:
Campbell, T. C & Campbell, T. M 2006, _The China Study,_Benbella Books, Dallas, Texas.
*Be sure to seek expert nutritional advice from a qualified professional.
