GOT MILK?
These days, it seems like almost everybody does. Celebrities, athletes, and even former president Clinton’s head of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, are all proud to wear the white “milk mustache.” After all, everyone knows that you need milk to be healthy …
Dairy is nature’s perfect food — but only if you’re a calf.
If that sounds shocking to you, it’s because very few people are willing to tell the truth about dairy. In fact, criticizing milk in America is like taking on motherhood, apple pie, or baseball. But that’s just what I’m about to do.
Based on the research and my experience practicing medicine, I typically advise most of my patients to avoid dairy products completely. I like ice cream just as much as the next person, but as a scientist I have to look honestly at what we know. In today’s blog I will explore many of the documented ill-effects of dairy, and give you six reasons you should avoid dairy at all costs.
The Reason I Have Problems with the USDA Food Pyramid
I’m aware that my advice to avoid dairy flies in the face of the new, “up-to-date” food pyramid from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA’s pyramid recommends drinking 3 glasses of milk a day. What’s wrong with that? Well, for one thing, it’s not a recommendation that’s based on strict science.
Some of the “experts” who helped create the pyramid actually work for the dairy industry, which makes the US Department of agriculture’s recommendations reflect industry interests, not science or our best interests.
In fact, Walter Willett, M.D., Ph.D — the second-most-cited scientist in all of clinical medicine and the head of nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health — is one of the pyramid’s most vocal critics. He’s even called its guidelines “udderly ridiculous.” That’s not something a Harvard scientist says lightly.
But Dr. Willett is right. The pyramid just isn’t based on key scientific findings about health. Just take a look at some of the pyramid’s recommendations — and why I disagree with them.
1. Consume a variety of foods within and among the basic food groups while staying within your body’s energy needs.
Sounds sensible — but which food groups? If you choose dairy, meat, fats, and carbohydrates, the “perfect” meal could be a cheeseburger, milkshake, and fries with ketchup (potatoes and tomatoes are the two top vegetables consumed in America). Generic advice like that is pretty meaningless and potentially harmful.
2. Control your caloric intake to manage body weight.
Again, that sounds good, but as I wrote in my book UltraMetabolism, even the best-trained nutritionists and dietitians can’t come close to correctly estimating their own caloric intake in a day. Also consider this: Is it okay to consume all of your calories from cola or ice cream as long as you stay within my caloric needs? Of course not. So this is more useless advice.
3. Increase intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nonfat or low-fat milk products.
Well, fruits, veggies, and whole grains are great. Milk — not so much. I’ll get back to that in a minute.
4. Choose carbohydrates wisely.
Who could argue with that? But how do they define “wisely”? The real advice here should be to cut down sugar intake from 185 pounds per person per year (what we currently consume) to less than a pound, avoid flour products (except as a treat), and stick to whole-food carbohydrates like vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
5. Choose to prepare food with little salt.
That’s not bad advice. But it doesn’t make sense if most of what you eat is packaged or processed foods that you don’t actually prepare. For most Americans who eat half of their meals outside their homes, this isn’t helpful. A better recommendation would be to avoid packaged, processed, canned, prepared, and fast foods (unless you know exactly how they are made).
6. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.
Sounds good — but if you’re usually drinking two bottles of wine a night, then one seems like moderation! I think a better suggestion is to limit your alcohol consumption to half a drink a day or 3 glasses a week (the amount that seems to have the most health benefit).
7. Don’t eat unsafe foods.
Of course you shouldn’t leave your egg salad out in the hot sun or toss your salad with hands that just handled raw chicken coated with salmonella. But the food pyramid guidelines don’t mention pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, or genetically modified foods, despite scientific evidence of their harm. Shame on the USDA!
You can see now why I have big problems with the food pyramid! Its guidelines try to sound sensible — while still protecting the interests of the food industry, the agriculture industry, and all of the lobbyists paying for the elections of the Congress. That way everybody’s happy …
But I’m not, and you shouldn’t be either. The public just isn’t served by this watered down, confusing, and useless pyramid. Worse, some of the recommendations are downright harmful –like the one to drink more milk and dairy products.
The Truth about Dairy
According to Dr. Willett, who has done many studies and reviewed the research on this topic, there are many reasons to pass up milk, including:
1. Milk doesn’t reduce fractures. Contrary to popular belief, eating dairy products has never been shown to reduce fracture risk. In fact, according to the Nurses’ Health Study dairy may increase risk of fractures by 50 percent!
2. Less dairy, better bones. Countries with lowest rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis.
3. Calcium isn’t as bone-protective as we thought. Studies of calcium supplementation have shown no benefit in reducing fracture risk. vitamin D appears to be much more important than calcium in preventing fractures.
4. Calcium may raise cancer risk. Research shows that higher intakes of both calcium and dairy products may increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer by 30 to 50 percent. Plus, dairy consumption increases the body’s level of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) — a known cancer promoter.
5. Calcium has benefits that dairy doesn’t. Calcium supplements, but not dairy products, may reduce the risk of colon cancer.
6. Not everyone can stomach dairy. About 75 percent of the world’s population is genetically unable to properly digest milk and other dairy products — a problem called lactose intolerance.
Based on such findings, Dr. Willet has come to some important conclusions:
- • Everybody needs calcium – but probably not as much as our government’s recommended daily allowance (RDA).
• Calcium probably doesn’t prevent broken bones. Few people in this country are likely to reduce their fracture risk by getting more calcium.
• Men may not want to take calcium supplements. Supplements of calcium and vitamin D may be reasonable for women.
• Dairy may be unhealthy. Advocating dairy consumption may have negative effects on health.
If all that isn’t enough to swear you off milk, there are a few other scientific findings worth noting. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently asked the UDSA to look into the scientific basis of the claims made in the “milk mustache” ads. Their panel of scientists stated the truth clearly:
- • Milk doesn’t benefit sports performance.
• There’s no evidence that dairy is good for your bones or prevents osteoporosis — in fact, the animal protein it contains may help cause bone loss!
• Dairy is linked to prostate cancer.
• It’s full of saturated fat and is linked to heart disease.
• Dairy causes digestive problems for the 75 percent of people with lactose intolerance.
• Dairy aggravates irritable bowel syndrome.
Simply put, the FTC asked the dairy industry, “Got Proof?” — and the answer was NO!
Plus, dairy may contribute to even more health problems, like:
- • Allergies
• Sinus problems
• Ear infections
• Type 1 diabetes
• Chronic constipation
• Anemia (in children)
Due to these concerns, many have begun to consider raw milk an alternative. But that isn’t really a healthy form of dairy either …
Yes, raw, whole, organic milk eliminates concerns like pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and the effects of homogenization and pasteurization — but to me, these benefits don’t outweigh dairy’s potential risks.
From an evolutionary point of view, milk is a strange food for humans. Until 10,000 years ago we didn’t domesticate animals and weren’t able to drink milk (unless some brave hunter-gather milked a wild tiger or buffalo!).
If you don’t believe that, consider this: The majority of humans naturally stop producing significant amounts of lactase — the enzyme needed to properly metabolize lactose, the sugar in milk — sometime between the ages of two and five. In fact, for most mammals, the normal condition is to stop producing the enzymes needed to properly digest and metabolize milk after they have been weaned.
Our bodies just weren’t made to digest milk on a regular basis. Instead, most scientists agree that it’s better for us to get calcium, potassium, protein, and fats from other food sources, like whole plant foods — vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and seaweed.
So here is my advice for dealing with dairy.
5 Tips for Dealing with Dairy
- • Don’t rely on dairy for healthy bones. If you want healthy bones, get plenty of exercise and supplement with 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily.
• Get your calcium from food. These include dark green leafy vegetables, sesame tahini, sea vegetables, and sardines or salmon with the bones.
• Try giving up all dairy. That means eliminate milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream for two weeks and see if you feel better. You should notice improvements with your sinuses, post-nasal drip, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, energy, and weight. Then start eating dairy again and see how you feel. If you feel worse, you should try to give it up for life.
• If you can tolerate dairy, use only raw, organic dairy products. I suggest focusing on fermented products like unsweetened yogurt and kefir, occasionally.
• If you have to feed your child formula from milk, don’t worry. The milk in infant formula is hydrolyzed or broken down and easier to digest (although it can still cause allergies). Once your child is a year old, switch him or her to real food and almond milk.
Still got milk? I hope not! Remember, dairy is not crucial for good health. I encourage you to go dairy-free and see what it does for you.
Now I’d like to hear from you …
Do you agree or disagree that dairy is bad for you?
Have you experienced any problems consuming dairy?
What changes — for better or worse — have you experienced if you’ve tried eliminating dairy?
Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below…
To your good health,
Mark Hyman, MD
The thing you have to be careful about with whey is the casein component, which it still contains. If you are sensitive to dairy, you may be sensitive to whey powder as well. When eliminating dairy, stay off whey powder and look for vegan protein powders instead. However, if you are not dairy sensitive, whey can be a good addition as helps improve glutathione levels.
You should do a comprehensive elimination and reintegration of dairy to test for sensitivity. Blood type is not an issue when it comes to food sensitivities.
You need to be careful with all yogurt if you are sensitive to dairy. Otherwise Greek yogurt is a delicious addition to a healthy diet.
Goat’s milk can be a good alternative to cow’s milk if you are not sensitive to dairy. If you are, it’s best to avoid both.
Weak nails, can, in some cases, be a sign of low thyroid function. See my blogs on hypothyroidism at http://drhyman.com/a-7-step-plan-to-boost-your-low-thyroid-and-metabolis-776/, for more details.
I used to have migraines, muscle spasms, foggy memory, joint pain, cystic acne, and a load of digestive problems. I quit eating grain and dairy, and I feel the best I’ve felt in years. Grain seemed to trigger the digestive problems and muscle issues, while dairy triggered the migraines, acne, and spotty memory. Magraines are a distant memory of the past, and I have so much energy and more ability to pay attention. BEST DECISION I have made in my life. I suggest trying it just to see how you feel. It’s amazing.
This article is so great, everyone needs to read this!!! My son who is 4 year old suffered from horrible allergies when I stopped breastfeeding him, at 2 1/2 years old. He was always getting sick and had a constant cough and runny nose. He was diagnosed with asthma and started having bad asthma attacks. I felt aweful for him. He would get out of breath when running and playing with other kids. We went through 3 pediatricians who all wanted to put him on steroids and allergy medicine which I refused. I felt he was way to young to be on any type of medication every day. And I fought with the pediatricians to try and find the cause for the asthma instead of just masking the problem. After no luck with any of the pediatricians, my sister suggested taking him off milk. My son was a huge milk drinker (actually chocolate milk! but I would put 1/4 chocolate milk and 3/4 skim milk), he would drink about 5-6 cups a day! So I took her advice and started giving him almond milk, and within a couple weeks the allergies and asthma were gone. It’s been about 6 months since I took him off dairy. No running nose, no cough, and no asthma attack and he can run and play and doesn’t get out of breath, and he doesn’t get sick like he use too. I wish more doctors new the horrible effects dairy has on our bodies. I’m in nursing school to be a nurse midwife, and I tried to talk to some of my teachers about it and they say that it has never been proven!! But my son is proof!!!
Every now & then I’m tempted to believe all the raw dairy enthusiasts, because they sound very convincing. But ultimately the proof for me is how my own body reacts. For me, the most noticeable effect is menstruation. When I eat dairy, my period is painful & very heavy and seems to last for ages. When I don’t eat dairy during a cycle, my period is light and virtually pain-free, apart from the occasional light cramp. That alone is worth leaving dairy aside, for me, even though I like the taste of it. (But it’s also very addictive to me, and when I eat dairy I always crave coffee.)
Plus I also seem to get smarter when I don’t eat dairy. My mind seems to think sharper and faster when I stay away from dairy.
I am dairy free and working to free the rest of my family (5 kiddos/1 hubby
) from it. I agree completely. I have IBS and I believe that it was caused from an undiagnosed milk/lactose allergy as a child. It was hard for awhile to give up dairy 100%, but now it’s easy. I am also off of gluten and eggs – makes life interesting and can be very challenging, but why complain when what I eat is some of the best food that God created – veggies, veggies and more veggies! As I’ve worked towards healthier eating habits, it’s become very apparent how much our world is controlled and addicted to unhealthy food! Just imagine what would happen to the medical world if everyone decided to give up sugar, gluten and dairy!!!!
I have suspected for about a year now that dairy has been causing some of the very issues this article mentions. I have noticed clearer skin, better digestion, better mood, less aches/pains, and less allergy issues when I stopped all dairy for almost 2 weeks recently. The bad thing is that our entire society in America and western Europe has developed an addiction to dairy. In one form or another, it’s in everything, which makes it difficult to avoid.
I have been preaching no dairy to people for years. One thing that hasn’t been discussed is the pH of the body. Milk/Dairy makes you very acidic. This, in turn, causes the body to leach calcium from your bones to help balance your pH. Too bad the government and the dairy industry is more concerned about shareholder value than people’s health.
In January, I eliminated dairy for a week (along with wheat, gluten, alcohol, caffeine). I felt the best I have felt in more than 25 years (I´m going on 50). I slowly re-introced each of those things back. When I reintroduced the dairy, I immediatley felt bad. I no longer do any dairy and have reduced the other items in my life, using rice pasta and corn products, organic when I can. Since doing so, I no longer take omeprazole for acid reflux! I started having reflux about 5 years ago. 3 years ago, it got bad and I started omeprazole.The last year I was taking double dose omeprazole (per my doc). Ever since eliminating dairy I have not had to take one pill. I am flabergasted. The few times I have mistakenly consumed milk/cream (e.g. in a sauce) it has come at me. I usally calm it with an apple and or some ginger tea. I don´t even miss the milk products because of how good I feel. It is worth the trade-off.!
I have HYPERthyroidism and I have finally made some significant changes to my diet. Since May of this year I have been Gluten Free and have noticed “some” differences but nothing significant. Yesterday (August 22,2011) I started eating DAIRY FREE – I have implemented Almond Milk and it is surprisingly yummy
) which makes the transition much easier. I am hoping (praying) that the changes will be significant and notable. Dr. Hyman has NOT talked about hyperthyroidism which is completely different than hypothyroidism. I am hoping to see his views and suggestions concerning this disease. In the mean time I feel like I am his newest student and I am excited to hear someone that has a medical/nutritional perspective that makes sense. I am a woman in pursuit of optimal health.
i’m a dairy farmer and have been for years. the truth IS- without Dr. Mark Hyman here confirming his results and citing where he found this information. I have no doubt in my mind, he’s an ass. Yes, there are some and unfortunately too many that are ‘allergic’ to dairy products, but for you who have cut out dairy completely- you’re going to get osteoporosis. Second, dairy does NOT cause heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer ect. We are a non hormone induced dairy set up and i don’t believe in Oxycontin therapy with dairy cattle. As with EVERY food out there; there are some risks to allergies, but consuming dairy is NOT one of them. Some of you have said you cut out multiple items in your diet ie: alcohol, caffeine, grains, and dairy, well how do you KNOW dairy is what was causing all of your problems when you’ve cut out 3 other potentially health problem foods- never in my LIFE have i been SO OFFENDED! if ANYONE would like to know more, please ask a dairy farmer, or feel free to email me, unless you have been influence to dairy in your life, I understand it would be hard to understand the benefits, and yes, risks of dairy. I can’t believe you all would cut dairy out before researching the benefits and risks of dairy or consulting your regular physician, and listening to this BOGUS- it’s most definitely offending!
Dairy farmers are not health specialists. To be offended by scientific research and people improving their health by cutting out dairy is absurd. How you can take personal offence to another persons lifestyle choice is absolutely ridiculous.
Human beings are simply not designed to drink milk from another species and like all mammals do not need milk in their diet past weaning. It’s no surprise their are so many health issues around doing so. Vegetables and beans are far better sources for calcium without the risks to your body.
I understand you are trying to support your industry. I only hope you can one day see how unnecessary taking a calves milk from it’s mother is for human survival.
Oh dear! Dr. Hyman and the Functional Nutrition people have a most distressing way of “smoking out” people’s dietary predilections. I couldn’t give up dairy without a fight. I enjoy skim milk with my high-fiber oat bran porridge, and find that 1/3 to 1/2 tsp. of xylitol eliminates any sinus/upper-respiratory congestion. I find ice cream too sickeningly sweet (not to mention calorie-dense), so never eat it. I am well into senior hood, and have never been overweight. Non-fat cottage cheese and plain yogurt idelicious, satisfying, and in my opinion, a vital part of a varied and healthful diet, along with an abundance of vegetables and occasional small portions of meat, fish and eggs. A recent visitor to the Dr. Oz show, discussing recent anti-cancer research findings, mentioned that hard cheeses – Swiss and Cheddar, had been found to be somehow protective against many types of cancer, and that he personally eats an ounce a day of one of these cheeses. A newsletter written by editors for the Martin Edelston publishing organization reporting research findings showing that Swiss cheese was found to have a cleansing, plaque -removing effect upon veins and arteries. Talk about counter-intuitive indications! I am just not ready to eliminate dairy – yet.
Speaking of counter -intuitive findings, another episode of the Doctor Oz show discussed findings showing fish oil as effective in eliminating bacteria in the mouth, and inflammation in a number of body systems. I can imagine that tidbit to have struck fear in the heart of dentists everywhere, thinking, “Oh no, – patients with sardine-breath!”
Hi Bonnie,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Dairy. It is great that you are in good health and open to learning what works for your particular body. The idea behind functional medicine is that it is not a 1-sized-fits-all approach so what works for you might work against the neighbor’s body and so on and so forth. Essentially, we all have the opportunity to evaluate our own health conditions and be prepared to rearrange certain habits if necessary. This article points at the pattern showing that for many people, dairy can be highly inflammatory and work against their health. However if it works for you than enjoy it in moderation and choose the highest quality possible!
In good health!
Lizzy
Your article is wonderful. I have been telling people about the harms of dairy since I was 13! Of course, no one listens to a teen no matter how much of a nutritional nerd they are. Now lets talk about soy!
Dr Hyman,
I have followed your advise for years now and bought several of your books. I am one of the many suffering from “Insulin Resistance”. Thank you for taking the lead in helping the American public in our health concerns/epidemics.
Thank you for letting folks know the true danger of the state of our “Dairy Industry.” The pasteurization process used here in the US has added problems as well.
I have one question to whom ever would like to address my query. Does goat milk – products pose the same problems,ill effects as cow milk-products?
Thank you in advance.
SA
I was vegan for 10 years & my husband for 30 years, and we paid lots of attention to B-12 supplementation via nutritional yeast, tempe, certain mushrooms, etc. Yet even with all that effort my husband got severely low on B12 and I was starting to drop below the normal range. He had to have B-12 shots to bring his levels back up and we put eggs and dairy (in the form of cheese) back into our diets, which seem to be holding our B-12 into the normal range. We try to keep the daily consumption of cheese low, between 2-4 slices per day, and choose organic sources. Neither of us is allergic to dairy, and we don’t experience the sinus congestion some do with dairy products, but we are of European decent where the longest dairy cultures were, so we likely produce enough lactase to cope with dairy.
I’m pretty sure Dr. Hyman is right about the excessive amounts of animal protein in diets heavy in dairy can result in leaching calcium from bones and thus incurring osteoporosis. I heard a radio show on osteoporosis, and most of the callers reported drinking lots of milk and eating dairy “for strong bones”, including one young man in his 20′s who drank 6-8 glasses of milk daily plus eating lots of dairy and animal protein and had severe osteoporosis, which he was mystified about. No mystery to me – where do you think the calcium in milk comes from? Adult cows don’t drink milk or eat animal proteins (unless the farmers are recycling dead cows into their feed and putting us all at risk of mad cow disease), they get their proteins and calcium from the plants they digest in large enough quantities to feed a couple of babies or us, too. Plants are the safest way to build strong bones, but moderation in all things is a good policy.
Ofcourse! If i eat a dairy food i suffer the worse from abdominal cramp. So eliminating it had greatly help for a better living. Here is a question i want to ask, ”Why my stomach cramp?” i used to experience it after each half an hour from all food i eat and dairy (milk and yoghurt) complicated it. Thanks alot for your contribution.
Ofcourse! If i eat food containing milk i suffer the worse from abdominal cramp. So eliminating it had greatly help for a better living. Here is a question i want to ask, ”Why my stomach cramp?” i used to experience it after each half an hour from all food i eat and milk (milk and yoghurt) complicated it. Thanks alot for your contribution.