A growing number of people believe that cow milk consumption has adverse health affects.  Here are some of the issues that people are concerned about: 

Some support the use of raw milk and consider it to be a health food.  Others feel that dairy products should not be consumed by humans at all, and that nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D should be attained from other food sources.

Proponents of raw milk say that the process of pasteurization depletes milk of valuable proteins, vitamins and minerals.  They also claim that pasteurization rids milk of healthy bacteria that naturally inhibit the growth of more dangerous organisms.

Advocates for not consuming milk, including the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, claim that milk can lead to various adverse health affects including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and diabetes.

Osteoporosis

• The often sited Harvard Nurse’s Health Study that followed approximately 75,000 women for 18 years found that increased consumption of milk in study participants did not reduce the risk of fractures.   

Cardiovascular Disease

• Dairy products contain both cholesterol and fat.  Diets that are high in cholesterol and saturated fat increase a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease.

Cancer

• Some researchers have hypothesized that ovarian cancer is linked to increased milk consumption.  Case-control studies have reported conflicting results regarding the link between ovarian cancer and diets rich in dairy food.  Several small cohort studies, however, have shown an association between ovarian cancer and diets containing skim milk and lactose.

Diabetes

• There is a proposed link between milk and the development of type I diabetes.  Milk contains a protein that is believed to cause an autoimmune reaction that destroys the insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas.  It is argued that the combination of a genetic predisposition and cow’s milk exposure is a major cause of type I diabetes.