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Don’t Stop Drinking Milk Because ‘Your Body Was Not Meant For It.’

(image credit: cropped from jacqueline)

Recently questions about milk’s effect on bone density, coupled with fears about the real benefits of milk, have led people to stop drinking milk or switch to “alternatives” like coconut or almond milk.

According to the International Dairy Food Association US per capita consumption of whole milk sales fell to a record low in 2013, with per capita consumption of lowfat and nonfat milk falling too. Compare that to the rise of sales of milk alternatives: In 2013 they increased by 30 percent compared to 2011. Almond milk sales rose another 40% in 2014 compared to 2013.

But  the real reason many people have stopped drinking dairy milk may have less to do with its actual nutritional value and more to do with a sneaky bogus argument that goes around the internet:

The reason NOT to stop drinking milk: Adults are (supposedly) not designed to drink milk.

In this article I won’t discuss the benefits of milk or its effect on bone density, osteoporosis, and hip fractures. I’m not going to give any dietary advice or talk about milk’s nutritional value.

Instead I’ll focus on debunking this particular “adults are not designed to drink milk” argument and its different sub-arguments:

  1. Cows’ milk was designed for calves, not humans.
  2. Other mammals stop drinking milk past infancy.
  3. Lactose intolerance is proof we are not designed to drink milk as we grow up.
  4. Paleolithic people didn’t drink milk past infancy, and hence our body is not designed for it.
  5. No other species feeds off another species’ milk.

Let’s examine those one by one.

1. Cow’s milk is designed for calves not humans.

Recently a friend of mine told me he decided to stop drinking milk. His rationale was that cows’ milk is meant for calves, not humans, so it’s only “logical” that cow’s milk is not good for adult humans.

Note that he didn’t talk about scientific studies or milk’s nutritional value, instead, he based his decision on a plausible argument.

It does sound like it makes sense, right? Cows’ milk is meant for calves, so why are we even drinking it?

Here’s the logical leap: Just because cow’s milk was designed for calves doesn’t mean that it’s bad for us, or that we shouldn’t drink it. Cow’s milk can be good for us and good for calves too. Just like goat’s milk can be good for us and good for baby goats as well. The fact that goat’s milk is really good for baby goats, doesn’t mean that it must be bad for us.

In some cases it does turn out the the milk of one species is not ideal for another. For example, cow’s milk could give a lactose overload to kittens. But that doesn’t mean we can jump to conclusions without having investigated the science first.

The milk police should probably arrest this dog for nursing kittens.

And then arrest this cat for nursing a puppy. Don’t they know cat’s milk is meant for kittens and hence definitely unsuitable for puppies?

(I have no idea if cat’s milk is good for puppies, or dog’s milk good for kittens. But without knowing the science, I cannot jump to arbitrary conclusions.)

2. Other mammals stop drinking milk past infancy.

Another plausible argument. Aren’t we supposed to stop drinking milk past infancy, just like all other mammals? Let’s think about it.

Should we stop creating computers or airplanes just because no other mammals do it? Should we stop cooking meat just because other mammals eat their food raw?

Hmm, no.

We were born with advanced analytical abilities compared to other species. This gives us the option to drink milk past infancy, an option other mammals don’t have.

Some of them though do benefit through our own advantage. Take cats for example. Have you ever given milk to an adult cat?

mammals stop drinking milk
Please tell this cat to stop immediately! (image credit: David Saddler)

If yes, you might have noticed that they’ll be quick to take a sip.

Of course, just because adult cats may drink cow’s milk when provided with it, doesn’t mean that we should also be drinking it either. Just like the fact that other mammals don’t drink milk past infancy doesn’t mean that we should also stop drinking milk past infancy. Science should guide us on what to do, not plausible arguments.

3. Lactose intolerance is proof we’re not designed to drink milk as adults.

Yes, it’s true some people are lactose intolerant, i.e., they cannot easily digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and dairy products. It’s also true that as we age we may become less tolerant to lactose. This depends on your genetic background with Northern Europeans less likely to experience it, while African and Asian populations being more likely to get it.

Lactose intolerance is a valid reason to stop drinking milk. However, assuming that we’re generally not meant to drink milk as adults just because some populations get lactose intolerance is a logical leap.

Oh, and please don’t get started that pasteurization makes it harder for us to digest milk, while raw milk is great. This is a raw milk myth.

Now, if you’re interested in learning more about lactose intolerance and its difference to transient lactose intolerance and milk allergies – stay tuned. Next week I’ll be releasing a new article on this very subject.

And a fun fact: Did you know that babies might also be born with lactose intolerance? It’s rare, but it happens.

4. Paleolithic people didn’t drink milk past infancy.

We like the idea that our body is designed to do or not do certain things. We are keen to believe it. The problem is we often don’t know what those things we can or cannot do are. We resort to assumptions to cover up this fact resulting in all sorts of misinformation.

Paleolithic people had some genetic traits. Maybe they could also digest milk as adults – it’s just that they didn’t have the option to do that back then.

But the fact that they didn’t have the option to consume dairy doesn’t mean our body, today, cannot consume dairy or that our body shouldn’t consume dairy.

Please bring up the milk police and let them chat with Biology Babe. She’ll put them to their place. Watch this video where she explains why as a biologist she hates paleo logic.

We may have gained traits, we may have lost traits, it’s hard to tell without testing. And some testing is impossible, since there are no paleolithic people around to put to the lab to learn what they were really capable of.

5. No other species feeds off another species’ milk.

Of course other animals don’t drink other animals’ milk. The reason though is not necessarily that they wouldn’t want to, or that they would not be designed for it, it’s mostly that they don’t have the option. It’s not as if cats can go buy dogs’ milk or that camels can purchase lions’ milk.

However, as the above pictures have already shown, when they do have the option to drink milk, even other animals’ milk, they indulge. Here’s a tell-all video directly from Dairy Carrie’s farm. This cat is super-keen to get cow’s milk directly from the source!

You’re lucky to have the option to choose, so choose wisely.

If you’re reading this I’m assuming you live in a place where you actually have food choices. This is awesome. All this variety to choose from is great! You’re more than welcome to drink or not drink milk. Lactose intolerance, taste preference, or just personal choices are all solid reasons to stop drinking milking, just like doctors’ guidelines or your specific dietary needs can also adjust your milk consumption.

However, if you’re gonna make the choice to stop or limit your dairy intake, then make sure you don’t do it because some plausible argument about what your body is or is not designed to do won you over.

Now leave a comment and let me know: Has any of the above reasons ever made you think you need to stop drinking milk? Are you currently drinking milk? Why, why not?

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  1. I love logic…even when I am seemingly at a loss for it in my everyday life. 😉 Love the article and more so the thought and research put into it. As a dairy farmer I am so proud to help put such a nutritious product as milk on my neighbours’ tables and I ALWAYS love telling folks that lactose intolerance doesn’t mean they cannot enjoy real dairy like cheddar cheese and other aged cheeses, as well as lactose free cows milk like Fairlife and Lactaid. I’m grateful we humans have evolved to consume dairy and that we farmers have also adapted to technology and being better farmers year after year. Thanks for another great, well thought out post!

  2. Wouldn’t the same argument apply to all food that we eat apart from human breastmilk? I mean all meats and vegetables.. who are choosing what is “meant to be?”

    1. Then what would we eat after we’re weaned? Yikes… (This is being written with a smile – not meaning to attack!)

  3. What a dumb author. Way to handpick bullshit arguments. To compare how we get cows milk to a cat or dog nursing another animal is ridiculous.

  4. You did a lot of comparing apples to oranges. Nobody with half a brain suggests that we should stop drinking milk past infancy JUST because other mammals do. When people make this suggestion, it’s because they’re examining patterns in nature, and considering the possibility that those patterns apply to us to. It’s not “monkey see, monkey do”. It’s just observation of the natural order.

    You give the example that cats like milk into adulthood, and that’s true. They’ll drink the hell out of some milk. It’s also not good for them. If you’ve ever given your cat milk, and then paid any attention afterward, IT GIVES THEM DIARRHEA. Lactose intolerance is very commonly known to be the rule for cats, rather than the exception.

    You’re examining arguments that have a deeper basis, taking them at face value, and then extrapolating flimsy, contrived arguments (“Other mammals don’t make computers and airplanes!” As if that’s even related to this topic) that have NO deeper basis. You’re seeing multidimensional suggestions in a one-dimensional way, and then arguing back without fully understanding the initial suggestion. Now, unfortunately, many of the anti-milk people are anti-milk because they are looking at these things as single-mindedly as you are. I understand you having a bone to pick with them. Lots of people take incomplete information as their gospel and then spread it like the plague. I’m irritated with those people as much as you are, but you’re combating stupidity with more stupidity.

    You also suggest that there is no scientific foundation for the first couple of claims. But it’s proven that as we get older, our bodies produce less lactase, which is an enzyme necessary to digest lactose (this is the same for cats). I’ve been dealing with heartburn for a long time now, and I’ve noticed it’s connected to milk products. Last time I went to the doctor, he told me that acid reflux is incredibly common, and is on the rise. I’m not saying that I believe 100% that it’s connected to milk consumption, but I have a bit of a hunch, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that turned out to be the case for many (not all) acid reflux sufferers.

    1. So you’re acknowledging the gray areas of life that this post is merely trying to return to through remediation of some established counterpoints.

      I read it like a balancing act, to countervail a growing measure of hysteria. I think you’re more on the same page, with respect to deescalating turning food into faction, than you may allow.

      I hope your heartburn fares well and takes several turns for the better as you refine what sets it off.

    2. ” If you’ve ever given your cat milk, and then paid any attention afterward, IT GIVES THEM DIARRHEA.”

      Not mine. I’ve had maybe 20 cats or so over thirty years. One or two were lactose intolerant. The rest, about half like milk, the other half couldn’t care less, but of those who drink it, no diarrhea.

    3. I’ve had cats for 40+ years. I’ve given ALL of them milk. NONE of them have EVER had diarrhea. I know this because I’m the one who shovels out the poop box. They are indoor cats. Based on THOSE facts and ALL of my present and previous cats, I have concluded that, if nothing else, MILK DOES NOT GIVE CATS DIARRHEA. THAT is the “rule” based on my own personal cat experiences, and I’ve had a shit ton of cats over the years.

  5. I don’t drink milk – only occasionally, like yoghurt or an ice cream here and there. My reasons? I have a slight intolerance to dairy – nothing serious, but it gets annoying if I have dairy too many days in a row (blocked nose, etc). Eating cheese makes me feel bloated and heavy (even though I love cheese!). As for my kids, I don’t give them milk either (except for the occasional yoghurt, ice cream, or bakery products that include dairy). My argument is that, since we eat a wide variety of fruits, nuts, grains and vegetables, even eggs, we are receiving the nutrients we need. While I don’t think it’s terrible to drink milk, I don’t think it’s an absolutely necessary part of any diet – unless you have limited access to fruits, vegetables and grains. If I’m visiting a friend and they offer my kids a cup of milk, I let them have it. I just don’t bother with milk at home. (That said, the argument “cow’s milk was designed for calves” still sounds very logical to me! Also, what about the China study?)

    1. Hi Marli, this article was not advocating in favor of drinking or not drinking milk, that’s why nutritional value was not discussed. It only addressed illogical arguments in favor of not drinking milk.

      Yes, cow’s milk was designed for calves, but this is no proof that it’s not good for us. This is the logical leap of this particular argument.

    2. The point is, is calves are KILLED so we can have their mother’s milk. fucked up. why don’t you leave animals alone? well so what if cow milk is “good for us”? it doesn’t mean we NEED it. The fucking calves NEEDDD Dit

    3. Yes Helena, tell them!!! Some people stupidity is so enormous!!! OMG! I have read all the comments and it really shocks me to hear comments coming from stupid people like these!!! They just think with their ass and not with their brains!!!! It shows you how greedy, selfish assholes are on this earth. Stupid people say: “Hell with the animal suffering, hell if cows milk is not good for us, IT TASTES GOOD”!!! FUCKERS!!! I HOPE YOU CHOCK WITH IT AND I HOPE YOU ARE BORN A COW, A GOAT, A PIG OR ANY OTHER FARM ANIMAL IN YOUR NEXT LIFE!!!

  6. I just typed ‘is milk good for you’ in to google and I’m now positive its not good for adults. Study’s show that it can lead to heart disease and hip fractures. The fact that the writer states that she is not going to talk about health facts means that the argument given for milk consumption is not viable because if milk is not good for you then adults should not drink it.

    1. Want to know what else can lead to heart disease? Everything. It’s called moderation.

      Milk provides bioavailable calcium, thus it helps prevent hip fractures. Clearly you need to do some more reading if your take away is the exact opposite of reality. Also “I looked it up on google” is not a valid basis for making determinations on a scientific question. If you google “do vaccines cause autism” you’ll come up with a huge number of results that say they do, when every single shred of scientific evidence says they do not. Google University is not a real school, and the education you get from it is purely one which causes you to demonstrate Dunning-Kruger.

    2. I looked up study’s on google I did not go to pro or non pro sites just sites with scientific study’s on. If I was wrong I apologise, but that was just the outcome of my research.

    3. “The fact that the writer states that she is not going to talk about health facts means that the argument given for milk consumption is not viable because if milk is not good for you then adults should not drink it.”

      I didn’t make any argument in favor of milk consumption. I only addressed illogical arguments against drinking milk. Are you sure you understood the article?

      I’m copy-pasting from the article above – “If you’re reading this I’m assuming you live in a place where you actually have food choices. This is awesome. All this variety to choose from is great! You’re more than welcome to drink or not drink milk. Lactose intolerance, taste preference, or just personal choices are all solid reasons to stop drinking milking, just like doctors’ guidelines or your specific dietary needs can also adjust your milk consumption.

      However, if you’re gonna make the choice to stop or limit your dairy intake, then make sure you don’t do it because some plausible argument about what your body is or is not designed to do won you over.”

    4. I don’t wish to be argumentative, however you did state “I am focusing on debunking this particular ‘adults are not designed to drink milk’ argument’ if that is so then it is important to figure out if it is good for adults as that would automatically answer the question of whether adults are ‘designed’ to drink milk.

  7. Hi again, one of my friends wanted me to write there opinion on this article so hear it is 🙂 What you completely left out of this article is the huge amount of cruelty that is involved in the dairy industry. A Cows natural life spam is 25 years but in the dairy industry a healthy Cow will only live 6 to 7 years after her milk yield drops -how sad ,why should she die ? What you also left out is that animals are NOT a commodity for purely making profit. Sad beyond believe that anyone would think that way ,Im not sure where your heart was when you wrote this article . Bring compassion back to it ,caring for ALL animals & taking cruelty & suffering out of their lifes is a most for them ALL.

    1. Seriously. Impregnating a cow and taking her baby away to be sold as veal just so humans can consume dairy is abhorrent.

    2. Yes, she is. Want to know how I know? Because she is going through things because we make her, because we made her in the first place. She exists solely for the purposes we choose to employ her for, because if we didn’t have a use for her, she wouldn’t exist at all. Would never have been born and if born would not have food.

      Beyond that though, this entire argument is irrational. It is premised on some kind of emotional feeling that the cow’s purported and alleged “feelings” matter. I have yet to see anyone present a single pragmatic or rational argument for us to care. All I see are people making appeals to emotion.

    3. Arguing that it’s okay to exploit animals because that’s what they were bred for is ridiculous. If Michael Vick went to trial and argued that there was nothing wrong with what he did because he specifically bred the dogs for dog fighting and they would have never been born if it wasn’t for him, the jury would have rejected that argument and the judge would have slapped him with a harsher sentence. Perhaps in your mind I’m comparing apples and oranges because dog fighting is against the law while dairy farming is not, but just because something isn’t illegal doesn’t make it okay.

      Your comment suggests that you have an extreme superiority complex, you don’t believe or simply don’t care that animals are sentient beings, and you write off any and all arguments regarding animal welfare as fallacious. It’s very hard to figure out what to say to people who have already decided that they’re not even going to try to see things from someone else’s point of view. I suppose I could mention the devastating impact that dairy farming has on our environment, but you don’t seem like the type of person who would care about that.

    4. Your comments here appear to only defend the indefinative fact that dairy is just plain bad for the average human. Not only that, but you just read as if your some all around disrespectful heartless turd. Please stop bother the normal evolutionary development in humanity, kill yourself and let the rest of us care, learn and grow with mother nature and our one and only home planet.

    5. This might surprise you, but the majority of the world are not robotic psychopaths. Since you seem incapable of empathy, please pack up your stuff and leave society before you hurt a human.

    6. Not many baby cows are sold for veal. Females are going to be raised into more dairy cows. Males might be sold to other dairy farms to be a breeder. Some might be purchased as a rodeo bull. Some might be raised by the dairy farm they come from. And some might be sold as veal. But it isn’t exactly cost effective hence why veal is considered a delicacy.

      Also cows left to pasture with a male will have a baby every single year, same as they do in dairy farms. You don’t lose much by keeping the calf with the mother, maybe two gallons for large producing breeds, but you can still get five gallons a day from those cows with their babies.

      BUT most babies are taken away from their mothers because cows are notoriously stupid. They trample, trap, injure, and squish their babies constantly. Which means less dairy cows for the dairy farm if they’re female calves.

    7. You’re not making the dairy industry sound any better to me. 41,700,000 cows are slaughtered for meat every year in the United States. 700,000 of them are calves slaughtered for veal. While that’s a small percentage, less than 2%, each and every one of those calves were byproducts of the dairy industry. There is no veal without dairy.

      Male calves that are “raised by the dairy farm they came from” end up being killed for meat by the age of three. You need to start telling the whole story here because the way you worded it made it sound like they’re being kept as pets. A select few males are used for breeding. Even fewer become rodeo bulls. Genetics determine whether or not a bull will buck, so most rodeo bulls were specifically bred to be rodeo bulls. If a dairy farm doesn’t implement a bucking bull breeding program, their male calves probably won’t be sold to the rodeo. As far as the females being used as dairy cows, that’s awful. Being forced to gestate so that another species can consume your milk and then being killed when you’re too worn out to gestate again is wrong on so many levels.

      Who cares that cows would have one calf per year if left to their own devices? It’s still not good for them. If humans hadn’t intervened, it would be a different story, but as it stands, cows have been selectively bred over many years to produce MUCH more milk than their calves actually need. Do you know what that means for the cow? It means they’ll be worn out by the time they’re four or five, which is when they’re sent to slaughter because they’re of no more use to the dairy farmers. That’s only 1/4th or 1/5th of their natural lifespan. It’s ALL about exploitation when it comes to the industry that you’re so fast to defend. These animals are exploited until there’s nothing left to exploit.

      Aww, how kind of you to take baby calves away from their dumb mothers so that they don’t get crushed to death! You’re a hero to livestock everywhere! Except that’s not why cows and mothers are separated and you know it. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that excuse. Most dairy farmers have even admitted that keeping calves with their mothers for too long would mean that there wouldn’t be enough milk left to make a decent profit. Sure, there will always be leftovers, but if they want to make a nice living, they need to keep the mother and baby apart. Nice try though. That was a good one.

    8. love-your-suit, what you just said is so untrue!!! OMG!! You know nothing my dear! wake up and do your research!!!

    9. Irrelevent to the topic, which concerns the arguments often made regarding the health aspects of milk. Animal welfare is a different set of goalposts.

  8. This article was clearly written for people looking for justification / excuses for their taste for milk. Let’s review your arguments:

    1. “Note that he didn’t talk about scientific studies..” well, neither did you! But here’s one of many studies linking milk consumption to breast and prostate cancer: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22043817

    2. “Should we stop creating computers and airplanes just because other mammals don’t” umm no! That has nothing to do with this argument. The logic behind this argument is that females (cows or humans) biologically produce milk for their infants. Humans with their great analytical abilities did not start consuming milk because they discovered a way to produce it naturally, instead they started raping cows and kill their babies in order to keep them producing milk. Humans actually did discover ways to produce milk out of natural resources (soy, almonds etc). If anything your arguments should be promoting the consumption of that, as it’s a far more evolved human discovery, and arguably healthier.

    3. Valid reason to stop drinking milk indeed (one of many). Also the fact that as you acknowledge that humans can become less tolerant to lactose with age is also somewhat of an indication that our bodies struggle with it and that as our bodies become less resilient with age, they can no longer tolerate it.

    4. The original argument is as weak as your counter argument so no point getting into that.

    5. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t claim the argument that other animals don’t / can’t drink other species’ milk is a weak argument and then argue that when given the option they indulge as a valid argument. They cancel each other.

    Bottom line is that milk is scientifically proven to be unhealthy for humans. Whatever health benefits you get from it are minor in comparison and can be achieved by other means. Further more the dairy industry is an extremely cruel one, so when adding up the facts (risks, benefits, replacements, cruelty) it absolutely does not make sense for humans with basic critical thinking skills to consume it.

    1. Guy: Actually it was clearly written for people who’d heard all kinds of arguments against drinking milk and were curious/wanted to know their legitimacy.

      1. Of course she didn’t, because she was pointing out the logical/rational flaws in the other person’s reasoning, not actually advocating one way or the other on milk. Similarly, he didn’t claim it caused breast or prostate cancer, but instead made the silly argument that it isn’t “natural” for one mammal to consume the milk of another. That is a totally different issue from what you’re discussing.

      2. Actually it does entirely. The logic there is the claim that it isn’t “natural” for us to consume cow milk. The response is to point out that we do plenty of things that that kind of narrow understanding of “natural” would declare “unnatural” and no one would suggest we stop doing them for that reason.
      Soy and almond “milk” are not milk. They are quite terrible products which are designed to mimic milk and absolutely are not “natural” by the definitions employed by most people, and certainly not by the definitions you yourself are using elsewhere in your post. Your emotionally charged language does not make your argument more valid, in fact, by using purposefully emotionally charged language, you pretty much demonstrate the quantity of rational arguments you have to be near zero. Resorting to such language is the tool of a person who doesn’t have any valid arguments.

      3. So, since exercise gets harder as I get older, from your perspective it is a valid reason to stop doing it, because my body became less resilient with age? You seem to be under the belief that because some people’s bodies react in a certain way, everyone’s must. That is just terrible reasoning.

      4. Whether it is weak or not is besides the point. It is a common argument against milk consumption and thus addressing that argument from a scientific and rational perspective was precisely what this article was supposed to do. That said, try to explain in actual arguments why you find her arguments weak. Simply declaring things does not make them so.

      5. No, they don’t, because they are actually addressing the same point in a certain sense. The fact that they don’t generally “in the wild” doesn’t alter the fact that they are physically capable of it and when presented with the option will do so, just like us. That you seem to think these two aspects of the same issue are mutually incompatible suggests to me that you aren’t engaging this article other than to try to find alleged “flaws” in it.

      Bottom line is that milk is NOT scientifically proven to be unhealthy for humans and you’ve presented absolutely nothing to say otherwise. The closest you came is in the assertion that it has some potential carcinogenic properties. So too does every other food we consume. You also made a blanket statement that “milk” is unhealthy for humans, without regard to quantities, frequency of use, etc. This shows you do not have a scientific approach behind your definition of “unhealthy” but rather an ideological/orthorexical approach.

    2. Leadsled, your reply is so full of contradiction that I can’t even decide where to begin.

      Since your bottom line was an attempt to discredit my knowledge on the subject as if all I did was present illogical arguments based on nothing but emotions, I will start with that. Please read this as calmly as I’m writing it.

      I actually am a scientist and because of that I generally tend to approach things with a scientific frame of mind. Dairy products (animal protein generally) are in fact scientifically proven to be unhealthy. It’s got nothing to do with moderation. I suggest you read more about the role of IGF-1 in cancer and it’s link to protein intake. Your arguments suggest to me that you get your knowledge from bloggers and that you never read a medical journal from the last decade.

      I’m not sure what it is that I said that made you think I resorted to emotionally charged language to “mask” my “weak” arguments. Is it that I said cows are raped and their babies killed? Do you honestly think that if I said that cows get artificially inseminated and their calves discarded, my argument would have been any different? Or is it the fact that I mentioned the production process at all that suggests to you I may be too emotionally charged to make rational arguments?

      Your approach for debating is to personally attack your opponent. In this case, me. practically any point you’re trying to raise against mine are about how I’m too emotional, orthorexic, unscientific, have terrible reasoning (that one especially stood out for me given the example you gave to illustrate your understanding of my logic). For that reason I actually have no interest in debating this with you. I would gladly debate the author or anyone else on topic, but I have to admit your way of thinking and choice of words is incredibly similar to the author, so I suspect you may be the same person, but I’ll leave it at that!

      The author of this post stated that she’s not advocating for or against milk, but simply “debunking” common reasons people choose against milk. In reality that couldn’t be farther from the truth!

      I sincerely hope that if anyone reads this article and concludes from it that milk is good for them, they research it more thoroughly than this blogger.

    3. Nope, not a single contradiction in anything I said.

      Actually I was not attempting to “discredit your knowledge” because I have no idea what your knowledge is or is not. My “bottom line” was to point out how each of your points were invalid as they either did not make a rational argument or entirely misinterpreted the point behind this article and the points behind the various arguments made therein. That you seemingly are incapable of comprehending that point does not bode well for your critical thinking/reading skills.

      “I actually am a scientist and because of that I generally tend to approach things with a scientific frame of mind.” An assertion not backed up by your first comment. In general if you feel the need to make a declarative statement like this, it means it’s inaccurate, because such things should be apparent from your reasoning and arguments. In other words: “Show don’t tell”

      “Dairy products (animal protein generally) are in fact scientifically proven to be unhealthy.”
      Nope. As I said, these kinds of blanket statements about food are A. not scientific in outlook, B. Not supported by science that actually exists. Quantities and frequency of consumption matter. That you ignore those aspects in making your declarative statements demonstrates my point re scientific mindsets.

      “I suggest you read more about the role of IGF-1 in cancer and it’s link to protein intake. Your arguments suggest to me that you get your knowledge from bloggers and that you never read a medical journal from the last decade.”

      Oddly enough your statements suggest to me that you get your knowledge from the aether and have never read any scientific journal ever. Because scientific journals do not publish blanket, unqualified statements like “X is unhealthy”.

      “I’m not sure what it is that I said that made you think I resorted to emotionally charged language to “mask” my “weak” arguments”

      Odd, that you cannot recognize which aspects of your language were emotionally charged since you wrote: “started raping cows and kill their babies in order to keep them producing milk.” People with strong arguments do not need to use emotionally charged language to make their point. That you were unable to present your position in a disinterested and objective fashion shows you are incapable of engaging in a rational discussion.

      “Do you honestly think that if I said that cows get artificially inseminated and their calves discarded, my argument would have been any different?”
      That was my point Guy. That your argument is not different from using that disinterested language but the fact that you felt the need to use emotionally charged language speaks to the fact that, at some level, you recognize your argument is weak. You did not think your argument would stand on its own, so you used emotional language to try to “stack the deck”.

      “Your approach for debating is to personally attack your opponent. ”
      I didn’t do that once in the above post. Not a single time. So the fact that you are making this declaration disingenuously and in bad faith further illustrates your inability to engage in this discussion rationally.

      You’re the one who made a post which lacked any form of rigor and which attacked strawmen of Maria’s arguments. If you’re not willing to defend yourself rationally that isn’t my problem.

    4. I could start copying and pasting sections from your posts, but I can see this going on and on. Frankly, I have better things to do with my time.

      I’m not particularly bothered by what you think of me or my arguments. I could actually argue that your dramatic delivery suggests you are far more emotionally involved in this than I ever was.

      Re-reading the thread I’m fairly confident that I made a good case against this article to anyone with common sense that is not affiliated with the author (or IS the author).

      However, I will address one of your points as I think it could be rather misleading to readers. It seems like you’re confusing scientific experiments with clinical studies (such as when testing drugs). The target audience for this blog are not medical professionals so the statement I made was to simplify the message to readers of this blog. It’s the equivalent of saying “smoking is bad for you” (Perhaps you think that smoking in moderation is healthy too).

      In fact, many signs show that the meat / dairy industry could potentially be facing a fate similar to the cigarettes industry. For example, fairly new restrictions were put in place when it comes to marketing animal products as healthy.

      Regardless, I did include a link to (one of many) published studies for those who are not afraid of medical jargons. The study shows that cow’s milk stimulated growth of cancer cells in each of 14 separate experiments. Your argument against that was “So too does every other food we consume” (which I guess you don’t think is a blanket statement).

    5. thank you @leadsled:disqus for not letting the “Bottom line is that milk is scientifically proven to be unhealthy for humans” stand like this. I personally don’t know if cow milk is generally unhealthy or not, but Guy is clearly biased.
      If Guy would have read at least the abstract of the scientific article he would have found that:
      1)cow milk lets prostate cancer grow, but that it doesn’t affect pancreas nor breast cancer.
      2)And that soy milk enhances breast cancer.
      (I will not start the discussion if the study is valid or not)

      Anyway thank you for the link i will stop drinking cow milk if i ever get diagnosed with prostate cancer.

    6. You say that Guy is biased but you are clearly biased too and you seem to have only formed and opinion on this topic from reading one article (everyone knows you’re supposed to collect info from more than one source :))… and actually milk can be connected to other cancers and osteoporosis too. Also, soy milk is not the only alternative to milk.
      Here is one piece of info from one of the several sources I visited. And wow there is so many closed minded fools on this page. I was open minded to the fact that milk is good for us but now I’ve read around I agree with the idea of not drinking milk.

    7. Milk is acidifying? That’s not true since your body uses the kidneys and lungs to monitor body pH, and diet does not influence systemic pH (source below). And the claim of milk being linked to osteoporosis is often made in reference to studies correlating countries with higher rates of milk consumption to higher rates of bone fracture, but those studies do not account for other factors like genetics, activity, obesity. Those studies simply correlated milk consumption and bone fracture, but correlation does not equal causation.

      http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22081694

      Milk and bones:

      http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/77/1/10.full

      http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/77/1/257.short

    8. I think lucas was specifically talking about the paper that Guy cited above discussing milk’s link to cancer. He was demonstrating the point you were making.

    9. “The author of this post stated that she’s not advocating for or against milk, but simply “debunking” common reasons people choose against milk. In reality that couldn’t be farther from the truth!”

      Ok, point out, precisely, where she was advocating for or against milk consumption then.

      See this is what you did above which is precisely why I can declare you aren’t approaching this topic rationally and/or logically. You make declarative statements about Maria’s arguments without any support or even pointing out what aspect of her argument you find inaccurate. You also do not respond to what is actually said but to strawmen of what is said. That is, quite simply, logically fallacious reasoning on your part.

      “I sincerely hope that if anyone reads this article and concludes from it that milk is good for them


      Since that isn’t what Maria was doing with this article, if that is what someone concludes from it, they clearly are as capable of understanding what they’ve read as you are.

    10. Just because you say it in the credits doesn’t mean it had anything to do with the article

    11. 2 – So you honestly consider our creations natural.. are you stupid? Our bodies are natural, the things we build are a result of will.. Is your bodily functions at the mercy of your will? Do you consciously digest your food and release chemicals into your bloodstream or does it just happen? Do buildings get built or do they happen? Do mountains get built or do they happen?

    12. ok I created an account just to comment here. I think it is really funny that you are completely right. I just read the abstract… says cow milk lets prostate cancer grow, but that it doesn’T affect pnacreas or breast cancer. And that soy milk enhances breast cancer. Well i will stop drinking milk if i ever get diagnosed with prostate cancer!

    13. “This article was clearly written for people looking for justification / excuses for their taste for milk. ”

      This comment was clearly written by someone looking for justification / excuses for his trend-dictated dietary habits.

      See? It’s easy to reflect such ignorance. Your claims of being a scientist down thread are akin to claims of “alien archeologists” being the same. New age clap trap and a penchant for google do not a scientist make.

      Go hang with the anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, and snake oil salesmen. They have an ear for you.

    14. It can’t be proven, because the death is a third order effect which cannot be easily traced. I for one have developed inflammatory conditions due to dairy products. At 38 I have to get a colonoscopy every couple of years because I am at high risk to cancer

    15. It does make sence moron it’s not that computers have anything to do with milk, but you should learn how to read. We shouldn’t make computers because animals don’t make computers we shouldn’t drink other mammals milk because other animals don’t. We are an evolved mammal.

    16. Totally, so how was it digesting that sandwich earlier using your pure will? This is how Christians think, ‘you are not and have absolutely nothing to do with animals’ – it’s not like we originated on the same planet, from the same materials, following the same cycles.. NOO, don’t be crazy, your will separates you from all that has manifested beside you in existence and puts you in the perfect place to do whatever the **** you want! Been drinking milk ever since you can remember? Oh well, that’s just the way things are then, guess it’s natural. Totally not the will of other human beings. “Money?”. Nah, can’t be – it’s just nature. Can’t question that. ¯_(?)_/¯

      I hope you get the sarcasm

    17. As much as I want to find more of the benefits to drinking milk, I completely agree with you. It only frightens me because I’ve been drinking milk everyday for months and I fear that it’s too late for me to stop. I’m 17 years old and I’ve never really looked into the health issues cause by milk. Do you think it’s too late for me to stop? I can’t imagine myself going through the harsh conditions I’ve read about. Please reply!! Thank you.

      P.S. reply to this one not the one I sent from guest

    18. Umm number 2 obviously has nothing to do with the argument. He was just making a point man. And he’s right. We’re humans. We’re we made for a specific purpose? Maybe. Should we care right now? We don’t have to. Just enjoy your life man.

    19. I don’t have to make excuses. I drink milk because it tastes good. There is absolutely no other reason I drink it and I will continue to drink it no matter what any vegan says.

    20. Have you seen the documentary Earthlings? Or What the Health? Does it bother you at all how much animals are harmed so that they can end up as food?
      http://www.nationearth.com/
      If anyone can sit through that documentary and then continue to consume animal products than by all means, go right ahead. The abuse isn’t just happening in isolated places, it’s the normal treatment but there may be some exceptions. And keep in mind that AG-GAG LAWS make it illegal to record without the explicit agreement from the owner so it’s getting harder and harder to record evidence of all the cruelties to animals on farms and in slaughterhouses, It’s all about making money

    21. No, it doesn’t bother me. You know why? Because animals also suffer at the claws of predators. Does it bother YOU when a lion disembowels a zebra and starts eating it alive? Does it bother you when a cat mercilessly tortures a mouse to death? Compared to how predators treat their prey, humans are far more merciful. At any rate, if it doesn’t bother you when animals suffer in nature, why would it bother you if they suffer at human hands? Suffering is suffering, no matter who causes it, isn’t it?

    22. No. Imagine: living a free life then getting shot in the streets while walking from your house to your workplace is much better than being born as a slave and working your whole life to die as a slave. One is pain at the very end, and the other is pain from birth to death. I hope someday you get the same treatment.

    23. Maybe she can’t imagine. Maybe she just doesn’t know or understand it the way we do. I get mad too but let’s try to reduce/end as much suffering as we can without wishing it upon other people. Some people are able to justify it to themselves so that they don’t experience those pesky, little feelings of guilt

    24. You have your beliefs and I have mine. Please refrain from making assumptions about strangers on the internet or suggest to me how to achieve my goal when you do not know what my goal is.

    25. Whatever you feel works for you but just as much as I don’t know you or your goal, you don’t know what she’s been through or why she feels the way she does.

    26. Actually she gives her reason for supporting the industry quite clearly. “I drink milk because it tastes good. There is absolutely no other reason I drink it” Either way, I hope you do not assume things about strangers in the future.

    27. At least you can work, even if it’s only for minimum wage. I started college at 16 and worked my ass off attending school and working part time so that I could afford to pay for my classes and my vegetarian food which my family didn’t support. Here I am at 43, after 3 car accidents (1st guy ran his red light and crashed into me terminating my pregnancy and injuring my spine, 2nd and 3rd guy rear ended me while I was at a complete stop injuring my lower back.) I can’t work because of moderate to extreme chronic pain and I’ve lost everything I had worked for and all that I had gained. I have nothing and I have no way of earning income.
      And someone reading this probably had a worse life with more obstacles and loss than I did. I just try to be grateful for what I did and do have and that I know enough to know it’s not the circumstances but how we allow it to affect us. I try to assume that each person has a reason that makes sense to them for why they think or act a certain way.

    28. Congratulations on making the connection. You seem to lack empathy for both humans and animals, then? At least you are consistent.

    29. Do you have ANY idea how many field animals are killed as the result of a vegan diet? MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of animals (mice, moles, shrews, snakes, lizards, frogs, toads, insects, etc…)are killed in plows, combines and harvesters each year. But since they are out of sight, out of mind, it doesn’t bother you. And I’M the one who lacks empathy?

    30. Oh my god you’re stupid. First, you’re killing them too but you already made t clear you don’t give a shit. Second, obviously it isn’t ideal and it’s not that we don’t care, it’s that, as vegans, we don’t always have an option. Pretty much everything is made with some kind of animal product and we don’t like it but at least we’re trying. And lastly, most of those crops are being fed to livestock. There’s literally enough food there to feed every single starving person in the world. But instead of solving world hunger, you just keep eating your bacon and milk because it “tastes good”. So yeah, I’d say YOU’RE the one lacking empathy here.

    31. Wishing that on someone? Wow–since you’re obviously into that karmic belief mentality, seems odd. Surprised that the whole “what goes around comes around” thing doesn’t occur to you while wishing someone’s demise. Might wanna’ look into that, chica… According to your philosophy, might just come back and bite you in the ass. You’re kinda’ fucked in the head, aren’t ya’? ?

    32. When it happens in nature it isn’t because of your demand for the meat as food you don’t need. When an animal suffers because we want to eat it, we have someone do it for us so that we don’t have to see it or witness the suffering first hand. There’s a big difference. supply=demand

    33. THANK YOU. This article is terrible and the worst part is that it’s probably going to be the first thing people read when trying to understand if milk should he drinked or not 🙁

    34. I don’t need any “excuse” to drink milk. I also don’t need to “justify” my liking of it to you or any of the other trolls that googled the topic so they’d have something to do with their day besides sit in the basement looking for a purpose in life.

    1. With almost 300 shares, I doubt “the majority” thinks this article is crap. Thank you for your ‘constructive’ feedback.

    2. I love milk I am looking for a reason to keep drinking milk because I stopped drinking milk, and my health is so much better that I wish it was a lie.
      I read this article thinking it could give me a real argument to return milk to my diet, instead I read this, not at all, helpful, article that people keep clicking and google rank lead then here… that is all I learned.
      In addition, yes, I am still not drinking milk because all my allergies disappeared… because people with scientific arguments proved me that milk increases mucus production and it is true, at least for me. I wish they were wrong because I love milk, but it is true.
      Try again … We have humans that kill humans with no reason at all; drinking milk is not a weird behavior when you think about that.

  9. There’s nothing in here except you piping off about how you don’t know what’s right or not. Your “arguments” if you can call them that, have no real base and nothing to back it up. You’re just spewing your opinion based on what you deem logical…the exact same thing that the other side of the argument did, except backed up with science. What a waste of time.

  10. I drink almond milk because it’s lower calorie. 95% of milk in my house is for cereal and to accompany an occasional pastry. If I’m baking or making a cream sauce I use regular 2% or whole milk. It is a little odd that we drink milk, but imo it’s odd that people eat a lot of the things they do. I can’t imagine the first guy that saw a crab and thought there might be meat in it’s legs…that dude had to be REALLY hungry. But I digress…

    I did see a documentary (sorry, forget the title) that addressed the bone density issue, which concerns me a bit, but we’re not talking about that in this article.

    I don’t subscribe to the paleo movement in general, cause you know, cave men weren’t all that healthy in general, but I firmly believe we are ‘not designed’ to eat wheat. That doesn’t stop me from doing it, because it’s delicious, and I’m gonna die of something…right?

  11. Don’t bother with these retards. If you don’t like milk that’s fine but if you try to convince others that they should stop drinking as well then you are stupid and possibly also an asshole.

  12. Are you’s aware of ‘water consciousness’ . The scientific evidence water (potentially all matter) responds to LOVE, THANKS, IGNORANCE, HATE etc (emotinal vibrations) ReSearch 🙂

  13. There are so many comments on here that fail to understand this post is purely debunking the logical fallacies surrounding the consumption of milk. I’m also a beginner at debating, and I do try to be objective and logical, but my apologies in advance, I’m not here to offend.

    For the following points, I am not arguing that they are correct, but rather I wish to convey the flawed logic. While there could be explanations for the following, saying x is true because x and then not providing the connection between the two. How did we evolve to drink milk? How did we not? How is the fact that some humans have trouble with Lactose invalidate others ability to drink how? Where is the connection between the two?

    And while I drink milk like it’s a drug, I do advocate for people’s rights to choose and argue how they wish. However, it’s not good to simply base our actions upon arbitrary arguments. That is the point OP was trying to make. Do your research, look and identify logical fallacies, if you still are unsure of the fallacies invalidity, research some more. But point blank statements are a poor way to argue.

    1) Arbitrary. So many things were not made for us, at least specifically. Even if we crossbreed plants and modify them, they are not in existence because of us. The source plant or animal was already there, we simply domesticated many things for easier human consumption and harvest. Just because cow’s produce milk specifically made for feeding their young (from a biological stance), does not mean it has zero other uses. Saying something can only be used for the intended biological purpose is purely unsupported in this context, and within the comments.
    2) Again, arbitrary. Just because other mammals don’t do x doesn’t mean we can’t. It’s like saying ‘because cats evolved to groom themselves means we should lick ourselves.’ No, in any given trait any mammal has it can differ form other mammals traits, and connecting us to them purely because we share genes with them shows a lack of understanding. We take different forms for a reason, and if evolution has said that we can harvest and consume milk, then we can. We don’t share all of our traits with other mammals.
    3) Should everybody stop eating peanut butter because a lot of people are allergic to it? No, again, just because some humans have certain traits that do not allow for easy consumption of lactose doesn’t mean all humans will share that trait.
    4) If you’re going to argue against this, please provide solid evidence that we (As a whole) haven’t evolved since then to consume milk. Our ancestor’s lack of a trait does not mean we have not grown to have it.
    5) I don’t even have any words for counter arguments on this one. Have you seen another animal with the same physical capabilities we are? We are not talking strength but dexterity. We have grown as a civilization and we can easily produce things that allow us to easily procure milk from cows. When was the last time another mammal had our same capabilities? Cats can’t freely drink milk because they don’t have the capabilities or technology to do what we do, however this doesn’t mean they will not enjoy or consume it if it is given to them. Again, just because x doesn’t mean y. Without stating why the arbitrary connection between the two is not arbitrary there is no logic in this.

    You’re right I could be wrong all of this, there could be genuine connections between all of these points that suggest milk is bad for humans, but there hasn’t been much, if any, scientific evidence to backup any connection between these points.

  14. Every thing we eat, drink or breathe is bad for us today…… scientist have poisoned everything that we eat or drink or breathe……. so I look at it his way…… No matter WHAT I do in this life; I will die someday; so I might as well go with a smile on my face; a steak on my plate and a glass of milk beside it…… oh…… and a cigarette when I am done with that delicious meal!!!!! Thank you

  15. I drink milk simply because I enjoy drinking it. Like drinking a soda, or fruit juices. It’s for no other reason than my enjoyment.

  16. I don’t think we need milk, and if we do drink milk for nutritional value it should be raw. Frankly, don’t write a bogus article and imply it relates to “fitness”. If you like it and want then drink it.

  17. If lactose intolerance in some people is a reason for everyone to not drink milk, we shouldn’t take medicine, eat peanuts, go near grass, or drink water because some people are allergic to them so we’re obviously not designed to deal with them.

  18. great article thnx. ignore the kooks. humans have had a long humane relationship with dairy. i wasn’t much of a milk drinker in the past, but recently having lost much weight and muscle mass due to sickness i’ve started drinking milk and it’s been a real blessing. ciao.

  19. Haha! This isn’t even about milk consumption! it’s about ignoring “plausible logic”! Didn’t anyone find this in itself entertaining? It is not viable to try to thoroughly, with generally accepted scientific research practices, research every argument about every decision in one’s life. Don’t ignore your intuition in the name of science. Science would be offended. ? trust your gut

    https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.livescience.com/54825-scientists-measure-intuition.html&ved=0ahUKEwjg6KaP-ZzQAhUUVmMKHYR9B4QQFggnMAI&usg=AFQjCNHwcrpd3o1Ucnun6yDH_ehgidjM5Q&sig2=aTVp6LjFebKdVBhsz6aFQQ

  20. Wow. This is a long thread. I know a couple people who insist on whole milk, and while I don’t drink milk on a regular basis, I might if I have an urge for breakfast cereal. I figure, as an adult, I don’t “need” whole milk, 2% or less is fine for my purposes. But why a 60+ year old doesn’t see the benefits of lower fat milk dumb-founds me. But, of course, they are individuals so they have their preferences.

  21. Maria repeatedly says that the anti-milk argument is not based on science, which is patently false. There are many many studies which show us the negative impact of milk. On the flip side, she doesn’t seem to be able to provide any scientific evidence to support his side of the argument. So she is doing the very thing that dhe is wrongfully accusing others of doing. Bad article.

  22. Look like you also like to make some “logical leap” yourself 😉 I am still undecided but… let me put it in other words:

    Cow (or any other mamal’s) milk is designed to bring a baby to growth and strength as fast as possible. After this is done, the mamal doesn’t produce milk anymore that’s how Nature is done. So we decided to hack Nature because milk is nutritious. OK. So we really need it all our adult life, right? …

  23. If You give a chocolate to Your dog he will eat it but doesn`t mean that is healthy for him .Same thing with milk consumption .Because cat will drink it if he gets opportunity doesn`t mean it is normal or good for his body .By the way ,dogs eat their own shit sometimes ,is that mean that we should eat our own shit too ?

  24. This article is fucking dumb. the only reason you posted this, is because you like cow milk, it tastes fucking disgusting. I much prefer almond milk/ coconut milk over cow milk, in fact I’ve never liked the taste. When I was little, I drank soymilk, now I’ve switched to almond milk and coconut milk, but why in God’s world would you want cow milk? From the fucking cow’s udder? we might as well take milk out of cats and dogs too! mmmmmm delicious! Haven’t you ever heard of the big dairy indrustries, that literally fucking kill the calves so that humans can have the cow’s milk instead, when it was clearly designed for the baby, not some fucking goddamn human, why not let the calves have their damn milk? gosh I hate the human race nowadays. It’s like killing little newborn babies, so that cows can feed off the human women for their milk, if I were to drink cow milk I’d prefer it from a farm that doesn’t steal the milk from the poor baby calves, and kill the calves, this is a concept even my own mother doesn’t understand. there is no excuse to kill calves so the mother cow can keep nursing, FOR FUCKING HUMANSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    1. Hmm…let’s see…”Fucking humans…fucking…fucking…fucking…fucking Goddamned humans…blah, blah blah.” Got it. You hate the human race. Gosh, seeing as how you hate the human race so much, do yourself–and everyone else–a huge-ass favor and vacate it. ? Thanks! ?

      Sincerely,
      The Whole Goddamned Fucking Human Race

      P.S. In the meantime, maybe calm the fuck down a little and take a Xanax…

    2. P.P.S. To answer your insipid question: “Why in God’s world would anyone want cow’s milk?” Because almond/soy/coconut/hemp “milk” all taste like shit. ?

  25. Maria, I like your approach in this but I couldn’t bear some of the arguments. You acknowledge lactose intolerance is a legitimate reason to give up drinking milk, yet you think only “some” percent of the population is lactose intolerant. According to National Institute of Health, “Approximately 65 percent of the human population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy.” Furthermore, you acknowledge intolerance builds as you age.
    The question one should ask is why are we lactose intolerant to cow milk in the first place? Is it because it’s not meant for humans? Sure, you can say there’s insufficient evidence drinking milk is bad for humans. You may have supported the tobacco company in the 1950s and use of GMOs, but we know better now. The point is sometimes our intuition provides the better answer. The simple logic “Cow milk is bad because it’s meant for calves” might make sense now that we know more than half the population is lactose intolerant. Similarly, I’m sure there were some who disliked the use of tobacco when it was commercialized and their logic may have been something like this “smoking causes breathing problems and makes me look like a skeleton; I think I should stop”. Sure, it’s a 3rd grader’s logic but maybe it’s the intuition causing them to make these judgements.
    Maybe the simple observation “cow milk is meant for calves” is all we need to deduct whether to drink milk.

    1. @JudeLawGuardian, I imagine you as a miserable, lonely person surrounded by your 80 cats, in a house filled with cat shit. As I read through this thread, your comments became more and more annoying and just plain mean. I don’t think you’re a happy human being.

  26. I like egg nog, real ice cream, real butter, sour cream, real cheeses, and cream cheese, so I will keep consuming it, along with pork, red meats, and alcohol. Deal with it.

    I also feel that, given the actual definition of “milk”, products that do NOT come from the secretions of the utters of a female mammal should not be marketed as milk. Almond, coconut, soy, and rice “milk” are not milk any more than frozen yogurt is ice cream or that margarine is butter, or that turkey “bacon” is bacon. Milk comes from female mammals, not a plant, grain, or fruit.

    If you prefer to drink those ‘alternatives’, go ahead, that’s your choice, but don’t shame and pressure others into being like you.

    I am starting to have a harder time digesting dairy, so I cut back on it. I still drink whole milk only, never reduced/fat free/skim milk. Taste is important to me. If it weren’t, I’d eat leather and drink mineral water.

    1. Best comment on here. Makes the most sense–just do what’s best for you and don’t lecture others about doing the same–everyone’s different. Bottom line: to each their own.

  27. Just let people do what they want according to their own conscience. Scientific evidence is great but you’d have to do a massive meta-analysis of all the evidence coz you can find any quack to produce an article for either side of the argument. And the milk industry has had the upper hand for the last 50 years when it comes to influencing ‘scientific literature’ so it’s going to be difficult to come to a balanced conclusion. As long as your not hurting anyone, relax, drink ur milk, my grandpa used to be dairy farmer. I just stopped drinking milk because I feel bad for the female cows when their calves are taken away. Apparently they also feel a sense of loss I guess as any mother would. And the fact that they are being kept pregnant throughout their lives until their udders shrivel up and they’re minced up for dog food :-p

  28. GUY, you are absolutely correct. A woman STOPS PRODUCING MILK for her infant. THATS IT. STOPS PRODUCING MILK. COWS STOP PRODUCING MILK for their CALVES. Same with Other Species. Seriously, it is insane how we are destroying cows with this constant impregnation and destroying the male calves or enclosing them in a “dog house” structure so someone can have soft, veal for dinner. I personally know people who have been overweight, not feeling healthy in general who have sought help from homeopathic doctors only to find out that they have a high inflammatory response to DAIRY. It’s also annoying to hear people defend meat eating and use the excuse that PLANTS are living so we shouldn’t eat vegetables and fruits. You are correct that it is a well PROVEN FACT that the CASEIN in MILK CAUSES CANCER. SAME for consuming Animals. MEAT AND DAIRY SHOULD BE ILLEGAL, KILLING US TORTURING ANIMALS

  29. I don’t care if milk is bad or unnatural for me. I love the taste of milk and I’m going to keep drinking it.

  30. So , I was trying to justify drinking milk , but it seems this article has no scientific data. Waste of time. Thank you

  31. I don’t believe we should be consuming dairy products but above and beyond all other reasons, it’s unethical for us to harm animals in the way that big business dairy farms do. To constantly impregnate a cow for milk and then steal the baby away from her is a horrific act that we support when we purchase dairy products.

  32. Not commenting on whether to drink milk or not, only wanted to say using cats drinking cow milk as a point is faulty. Cats are lactose intolerant and should NOT be given milk of any kind. This is nothing to do with ethics, but facts. Yes, they drink it, but it’s not good for them. -cat owner

    1. Have had cats for over 40 years. Have given ALL of them milk. Have NEVER had a cat with diarrhea after drinking milk. THAT’S also a fact. –40+ year cat caretaker

  33. So for me, I just got super sick this past summer and for no explainable reason. I ended up on a ‘toast and mint tea” diet for about a month, lucky to sneak some bites of something else in once in awhile. I talked to my doc, we did a blood panel, and all my counts were normal (other than mildly higher cholesterol than someone my age should have, hereditary). I focused on trying to get higher priority foods back into my diet, like meat and fruit and vegetables. Now I’m 3 months out from when I first got sick, and I realized recently that I hadn’t taken up dairy like I used to have. I lived on and loved anything dairy! I’m probably down to 10-15% of what I used to intake, that only in the form of occasional cheese, ice cream, or a condiment (sour cream and butter mainly). I don’t consume enough for me to think of it as a main part of my diet. The funny thing is that I don’t miss it, and if I do indulge and have a glass of cows milk or cereal with milk or a large piece of pizza my stomach just hurts the entire rest of the day. I got some nut milk to try, and find I really like it, so much so that I don’t even want cows milk back in my life. My kids still drink it, but it’s completely unappealing to me, and I almost wonder if I’d been dairy sensitive this whole time not knowing what caused my discomfort because I was so swamped in it all the time. I’m doing a couple other things to help my system heal, but this was like a revelation today. Nothing told me to give it up, I did it by accident, and I’m better for it. Just my two cents.

  34. What a stupid article, I’m sorry but its a load of crap. So badly written. I wouldn’t normally talk like this but it’s so bad. Using an example of a dog nursing off a cat and whatever. Of course in an extreme case it will!?!?! If it has no choice. That doesn’t make it logical?!?! Hahaha…I can’t and won’t even get into this invalid argument of an article!

  35. Here’s a good argument against milk. It’s gross. It’s made organically by mothers (of many species) to feed babies who can’t yet digest real food, such as meat or vegetables. Not so gross then. But then we grow up. You wouldn’t suck on a pacifier past infancy “just because you can,” would you? Also, people HAVE been drinking and using cow milk for thousands of years, but it likely started out of necessity, due to a shortage of water or contamination. If you have access to clean water, why drink anything else? “Other mammals stop drinking milk past infancy.” Yes. That’s a good argument AGAINST milk. We’re mammals, aren’t we? Other mammals don’t have access to an endless supply of junk food and soda, but should we stop pigging out just because they don’t? Yes. Maybe we SHOULD be like other mammals, at least from a nutrition perspective. We’ll keep building computers and planes regardless. I don’t mean to shame people who drink milk, it just seems like every argument against it, which were all criticized in this article, ARE VALID. If you don’t want to drink milk, don’t! Don’t listen to articles like this.

  36. We come from nature, the things we built came from our “options” (will). Just because you are able to do something continually without experiencing any (present moment) personal negative side-effects does not mean you SHOULD. The thing about OPTIONS are there are either correct or incorrect ones; and in a case where the options are ‘TO’ or ‘NOT TO’, to not indulge is in all senses the safest bet. You were born into a lie so you became it.

  37. It’s not that we shouldn’t drink cow’s milk. It’s that we shouldn’t drink pasteurized cow’s milk. Raw milk, yes. But that has been outlawed in many states. In the meantime, there are better sources of food that provide the nutrients you mention are in pasteurized cow’s milk.

  38. OK kids, I get it. You love arguing…
    But think about it…if there is a risk that milk is unhealthy for you, just don’t drink it. I’m pretty sure there are plenty of calcium supplement pills out there. Just grab one at Costco.
    Plus, did you see the dairy industry at all?
    One, mothers are raped. Calves are raped. Blood and pus is mixed into milk. They are then put into large CAFOs, fed excessive GMO corns, then killed, just so you can become fat lazy Americans.
    Oh yeah, BTW those industries totally don’t have “scientists” stating that milk is healthy and journalists talking about its “potential benefits.”
    “Yeah, its very healthy and makes your bones strong.” (Don’t see the difference between drinking it and not.)
    Hmm mm…I also wonder if those dairy industries are pouring chemicals in there.
    Btw, I don’t need scientific basis here. You know why? Because whether or not its health, it’s just ethically bad to drink it

    Phew…I can rage on for hours, but I don’t want to argue with these ignorant m8ees anymore.
    And btw sry for the spelling mistakes cuz I’m only a 9th grader and I already know better than half of you.

  39. This article is the most unacademic piece of writing I’ve read in a while. Their sources aren’t reputable and trace to be funded by the dairy industry themselves.
    This is coming from a nutritionist.

  40. All mammals lactate when they are pregnant. That milk is for their offspring. Without that milk they will not survive and even if they do, they will be weak or have diseases. Cows are raped(artificial insemination) and then made pregnant for milk. Their children are not allowed to drink milk which goes to monsters with stupid logic like you. So don’t drink milk for a while, your Amygdala might work.

  41. I would like to share an experience regarding lactose intolerance. Like many people I drank less milk as I aged. I took a class on elimination diets and participated in the diet. The basics were that we eliminated all foods that have been identified with allergies or intolerance. We then introduced foods one at a time and observed the results. With dairy everyone had at least some discomfort when re-introduced. The truth is that if you completely eliminate dairy you will deplete the bacteria that digest lactose from your digestive system. A slow introduction and increase in dairy resulted in being able to digest dairy well for most people. There is also the issue of fat. Apparently most people need the fat in milk to digest it optimally and for me whole regular milk was the best option.

    1. So the next debate as saving the cow no more leather products. Instead go with plastic which then starts another debate as plastic no good either. So shoes bags etc should be made from cardboard. You then go to how paper is manufactured and then we shouldn’t have paper which then stops cardboard. You want to be the perfect person that causes no harm to the ‘planet’ well unfortunately all living things need food one way or the other so something has to be eaten. The food then has to be delivered:- carbon footprint. So suggest all instead of getting rid of gardens for cars turn the drive into a veg garden and until then stop thinking you doing is good. Its a misconception I don’t drink milk so doing good. As someone put many people dying but have surplus of food elsewhere, and what do we do- we donate money……..Seriously is that doing good? How about actually going there and helping??? True to say nature is cruel whatever is at bottom of the food chain has a rough life. Who are we to say that a carrot has no feelings. Stop thinking a do gooder when there is a whole massive list of wrongs besides. Buy second hand instead of new reduces waste, carbon footprint and money saved DONT PUT IT IN THE BANK GIVE TO SOMEONE WHO NEEDS IT…..hmmm lets face it not going to happen we sit in our four walls and ignore the big picture.

  42. “And a fun fact: Did you know that babies might also be born with lactose intolerance? It’s rare, but it happens.”
    Let me tell you my experience. I swear to God that my little brother (he is 10 years younger than me) has lactose intolerance since his birth. He still has it. Whenever he drinks milk he experiences then same thing as when he was newborn (with the only difference that he does not puke the excess milk.
    He still drinks milk BECAUSE IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING in our lives. I’ve been drinking at least 1 litre of milk since when i was 12 yo. (At some point in my life when i was 14 yo i used to drink even a woping 2~2.5 litres of milk per day).
    I cannot resist to milk ! I love it.
    Thank you for expressing the rational thinking. I believe that they don’t want people to drink milk so that they get in serious troubles and pharmaceutical companies get some huge profits FOR SURE!