I don’t drink milk.  I also don’t eat yogurt, and in general avoid dairy products (though I’m struggling to kick cottage cheese).  I’m not lactose intolerant; it’s just that I’m convinced that dairy isn’t very good for adults.

“Drink your milk” has been spouted by your mom, dad, grandma, Phys-Ed teacher, coach and strength coach as long as you’ve been alive, but if you’re trying to get or keep that six-pack, then you probably need to leave the udders alone…

First, let’s start with what we know:

The Optimistic View of Milk

- Good Source of Calcium

- Good source of protein (mixture of whey and casein, which is great for building and maintaining muscle)

- Fortified with Vitamin D to increase absorption of said Calcium

- Great with a heaping bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (or an entire box, as it usually ends up)

How I Miss Thee...

The Evolutionary View of Milk

- Fed to babies for quick development of muscle, bone and fat stores

- Adult humans become more intolerant of lactose (chief sugar found in milk) as they age.   To quote the National Institute of Health:

Primary lactase deficiency develops over time and begins after about age 2 when the body begins to produce less lactase. Most children who have lactase deficiency do not experience symptoms of lactose intolerance until late adolescence or adulthood.

- Poorly digested lactose causes water retention, which increases that flabby look. Bodybuilders, figure competitors and models wouldn’t dare touch milk products before a photoshoot.

- Milk has an insulin index score disproportionately higher than its glycemic index score.  This means that milk has holistic properties responsible for greater insulin response than simply the amount of carbohydrate it contains.  This finding makes evolutionary sense as the drink is, as discussed above, meant to fatten and increase weight in babies.

So let’s think about this: We produce lots of lactase for digestion of breast milk at infancy, then our body produces less and less, resulting in some degree of lactose intolerance.  It seems pretty obvious that our body is telling us to wean ourselves off of the stuff as we reach adulthood.  Why continue to pump ourselves full of a liquid that our body isn’t equipped to properly digest, and is biologically engineered to pack on weight and bodyfat?  Good question…

Implications

Those of you who wish to lose weight, get ripped or maintain an advanced, super-healthy diet should almost certainly avoid milk products.  After all, it doesn’t really contain anything unique; Calcium can be found in cruciferous and dark, leafy vegetables in good quantities (which everyone needs more incentive to eat, anyway), the 8 grams of protein per serving can be matched in about 1 oz of meat, and you can go outside for free Vitamin D.  And it will keep your insulin levels higher than they need to be, which is bad for bodyfat business.

Yet, for young athletes, growing children or those looking to add body mass, I don’t ban milk.  They probably don’t get calcium from other sources, and they surely process it better than older populations.  I only urge those with weight-loss or general health goals (again, more advanced and knowledgeable eaters) to take a long and hard look at whether this bovine secretion is actually healthy.

To quote the great Arnold Schwarzenegger (Thanks, Jon): ”Milk is for babies. When you grow up you have to drink beer.”

References:

Garrett Hoyt, Matthew S. Hickey and Loren Cordain (). Dissociation of the glycaemic and insulinaemic responses to whole and skimmed milk. British Journal of Nutrition, 93, pp 175-177
doi:10.1079/BJN20041304

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lactoseintolerance/