"Aunt Zhang, you drink this milk so diligently, come to have a cup every day?" asked the neighbor Xiao Wang curiously.
Aunt Zhang smiled: "Yes, I have insisted on it for more than ten years, one cup a day, never stop." My blood pressure and blood sugar are normal now, and even doctors praise me for having a higher bone density than many young people!"
When Xiao Wang heard this, he couldn't help but nod in admiration: "No wonder you are in such good health, you really know how to maintain health!"
1. Peking University research: People who drink milk regularly are more likely to suffer from breast cancer?
Is there a scientific basis for the claim that drinking milk is prone to breast cancer?
A study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology surveyed about 52,000 women in North America with an average age of 57.1 years.
Studies have shown that drinking 1/4 to 1/3 glass of milk per day may increase the risk of breast cancer by 30 per cent, up to 50 per cent if one glass of milk per day, and up to 80 per cent with 2 to 3 cups per day.
Coincidentally, in 2022, researchers from the University of Oxford, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking University jointly launched a study that conducted an 11-year survey of more than 510,000 people, and found that people who regularly consume dairy products have an increased risk of breast cancer and liver cancer in women, and an overall cancer risk of 9%.
Many women who love milk exclaim: What can I do?
Don't worry, none of these studies are reliable evidence that drinking milk causes breast cancer, as observational studies cannot determine cause and effect, and there are many other factors that have not been considered that can also affect the results.
In the breast cancer treatment guidelines issued by the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, breast cancer patients are only advised to reduce the intake of high-fat dairy foods, but do not emphasize the need to limit the intake of milk and other dairy products.
While some studies suggest that milk may be linked to certain cancers, milk cannot be directly said to be the culprit. As long as you don't drink too much milk, there is no harm in it, so you don't need to be too nervous.
2. What changes will occur in the body of people who drink milk for a long time?
Milk, which many people drink from childhood to adulthood, is not only delicious, but also has a basket of benefits for the body, so many that there are too many to count!
1. Protect cardiovascular health
A Lancet study found that moderate consumption of milk reduced the risk of stroke by 33%, cardiovascular death by 23%, and death by 16% overall.
In 2020, a study by Academician Gu Dongfeng of Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences also found that milk is beneficial to cardiovascular disease, drinking 150~300g of milk per day reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 23% and the risk of cardiovascular death by 19%.
2. Prevent chronic diseases
Intake of milk and dairy products has been linked to a reduced risk of certain chronic diseases, such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes type II, and certain cancers.
3. Promote digestion and intestinal health
Milk helps maintain the balance of the intestinal microbiota (intestinal flora) and facilitates the digestive process. It also promotes specific bodily functions by providing essential nutrients, including improving gut health.
4. Strong bones
Calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D are all indispensable elements for bone development, and they are all enriched in milk. Studies have found that children, adolescents, and menopausal women who regularly drink milk have better bone mineral density.
3. Milk is not suitable for everyone, and there are 5 categories of people who should drink less
Milk is a nutritious and good thing, but some friends are "incompatible" with it, and the following 5 types of people may have to say "no" to milk:
Lactose intolerant: Due to the lack of lactase in the body, this part of the population is unable to break down the lactose in milk, and may experience symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea after drinking milk.
Patients with peptic ulcers: Milk may stimulate gastric acid secretion, and the increased amount of gastric acid will aggravate the damage to the gastric mucosa, thereby aggravating the condition of ulcers, especially for patients with gastric ulcers or duodenal ulcers, it is recommended to drink less milk.
Patients with iron deficiency anemia: patients with iron deficiency anemia need to increase their iron intake through diet or supplements, but the casein in milk may form insoluble complexes under the action of gastric acid, which affects the absorption of iron and reduces the effect of iron supplementation.
Patients with kidney stones: The most common type of kidney stones is calcium oxalate stones, and the calcium in milk may combine with oxalic acid in the body to form calcium oxalate that is insoluble in water, causing or exacerbating the formation of kidney stones.
People with severe acne (acne): Some studies suggest that IGF-1 and whey protein in milk may worsen acne in some people.
Fourth, master 3 tricks, milk to drink health, drink peace of mind
In fact, there are still a lot of things to pay attention to when drinking healthy milk. Today, Xiao Jiu will give you some tips to let this cup of "white blood" really nourish every one of our cells.
1. Priority is given to unsweetened milk
When shopping for dairy products, ingredients such as white sugar, sweetened condensed milk or fruit puree concentrate are clearly marked in the ingredient list, which usually means that the product is relatively high in sugar.
So how do you know if milk has a lot of sugar? In fact, the secret is in the nutrition facts list. Unsweetened dairy products have a carbohydrate content of about 5 percent, and the higher the content, the more sugar is added to it.
2. Drink in moderation
The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommend that adults should consume between 300-500 grams of milk per day, and it is recommended that they can drink 1-2 bags of pure milk or yogurt per day, which is conducive to maintaining bone health and overall nutritional balance for adults.
3. Avoid taking it with certain medications
Wang Hui, director of the Department of Clinical Nutrition of Jiangsu Provincial Cancer Hospital (Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), said that minerals such as calcium and magnesium in milk may react with certain drugs, affecting the absorption and efficacy of drugs. While taking the drug, it should be avoided at the same time as milk.
Remember, everyone's body is unique, and finding the right way to drink milk is the only way to make milk a good partner for our health!
Resources:
[1] "Can I drink milk on an empty stomach?How to drink it?", People's Daily Online Popular Science.2024-02-20
[2] "Is it better to drink milk in the morning or good in the evening?The truth of the 4 best times, subverted".Tencent Medical Codex.2023-08-18
[3] "We all know that milk is good, but you may drink it wrong!How to drink it to be the healthiest? Come in and learn!", Popular Science China.2023-07-08
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