In this era of high focus on health and wellness, we tend to find that many people are full of doubts and confusion about taking care of their bodies. One of the most common questions is, "Should I drink milk?"
This seemingly simple question contains many points that we need to focus on, including nutritional intake, lactose intolerance, choosing the right milk products, and so on. Today, let's take a closer look at the mystery behind it.
01
Are there any hidden benefits to drinking milk?
When it comes to the benefits of drinking milk, most people can think of the advantages of calcium supplementation, but in addition to calcium supplementation, drinking milk has other health benefits, let's take a look.
First of all, milk is rich in calcium, which is an important ingredient for maintaining bone health. Milk contains vitamin D, which aids in calcium absorption. So, drinking milk has the effect of strengthening bones.
Multiple studies have confirmed that milk and dairy products can increase bone mineral density in children, adolescents, and postmenopausal women.
Secondly, milk can also help control blood pressure. The minerals calcium, potassium, and magnesium contained in milk are all helpful in controlling blood pressure. Studies have shown that blood pressure can increase if you don't get enough calcium per day.
However, eating potassium in your diet can help relieve high blood pressure caused by high sodium. In addition, magnesium can reduce vascular tone and contractility, which can help control blood pressure.
In addition, milk may also reduce the risk of cancer. Although there is currently insufficient research evidence that whole milk and its dairy products increase the risk of breast cancer, some studies have shown that low-fat milk and its products may reduce the risk of breast cancer by 16%.
In addition, a study published in the journal Nature Metabolism showed that lactose intolerant people may be effective in preventing the development of type 2 diabetes if they can increase their milk intake.
Why should lactose intolerant people increase their milk intake? Because their bodies cannot continuously produce lactase to break down and metabolize lactose in milk properly.
However, one study found that drinking more milk altered the levels of specific bacteria and circulating metabolites in the gut, which had a positive effect on the prevention of type 2 diabetes.
02
How do lactose intolerant people drink milk?
Since cow's milk can help reduce the risk of diabetes, how exactly should people who are lactose intolerant drink milk to replenish what they need without feeling uncomfortable?
Don't worry, here are a few tips.
1. You can drink milk in small quantities and many times. You can start with 50 ml per day and gradually increase it. In this way, while reducing symptoms such as diarrhea, bowel sounds, and flatulence, the intestines will gradually develop a tolerance to milk.
2. Avoid drinking milk on an empty stomach. When your gastrointestinal tract is empty, the milk passes through for a short time, and the lactose in it is not well absorbed by the small intestine, but enters the large intestine more quickly, aggravating the symptoms of lactose intolerance.
Therefore, it is best to eat some bread, biscuits and other foods while drinking milk, or drink milk within 1 to 2 hours after the main meal, which can dilute the concentration of lactose and reduce the irritation of the intestines.
3. Alternatives to other dairy products, such as yogurt, lactose-free or lactose-low dairy products, may be an option for lactose intolerant people.
03
Drinking milk in this way can be harmful to health
Milk is indeed a great drink that provides important nutrients to our body. However, if we don't use or mix milk incorrectly, it can cause problems for the body.
There are some misconceptions about milk drinking that you need to know.
Drinking milk at night can help you sleep?
While milk does contain some ingredients that can help us calm our minds, they are not high enough and have little effect on sleep.
Therefore, there is actually not much difference in nutrition between drinking milk in the morning and drinking milk in the evening.
The more expensive milk is, the higher its nutritional value?
This view is also misunderstood. There are two types of milk that we often see in supermarkets:
One is Tetra Pak packaged milk that is stored at room temperature for 30 days, which is relatively cheap, and the other is pasteurized milk, which has a shelf life of 7 days and needs to be kept in the freezer, which is more expensive.
In fact, there is not much difference in nutrition between them.
Can high-calcium milk better replenish the body's calcium?
The most important thing about calcium supplementation is to look at the absorption, not the amount of intake. Milk itself contains enough calcium, as long as we drink enough every day, plus other calcium in our diet, it is enough to meet the body's calcium needs.
Should lactose intolerant people drink milk on an empty stomach?
People who are lactose intolerant should have something in their stomach before drinking milk, and try to avoid drinking milk on an empty stomach.
Or you can pair it with a snack and consume a small amount of milk. You can also choose to drink soothing milk, yogurt and other products.
Can I drink milk before and after taking medicine?
This is especially important for middle-aged and older people. Because when milk is taken with drugs, it may reduce the absorption and efficacy of the drug, and in severe cases, it may also increase the toxicity of the drug.
So it's best to keep a gap of at least one hour between taking the medicine and drinking milk.
Write at the end
In general, drinking milk also needs to pay attention to science and method. We can't just follow the crowd, we need to actively and seriously learn about milk. Only by understanding and grasping the right information can we be healthier and happier. May we enjoy delicious milk every day and enjoy a healthy life!