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Dairy: 6 Reasons You Should Avoid It at All Costs or Why Following the USDA 
Food Pyramid Guidelines is Bad for Your Health (VIDEO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/dairy-free-dairy-6-reason_b_558876.html
Mark Hyman, MD Practicing physician and pioneer in functional medicine
Posted: May 1, 2010 05:44 PM

Got milk?

These days, it seems like almost everybody does. Celebrities, athletes, and 
even former president Clinton's head of Health and Human Services, Donna 
Shalala, are all proud to wear the white "milk mustache." After all, everyone 
knows that you need milk to be healthy ...

Dairy is nature's perfect food -- but only if you're a calf.

If that sounds shocking to you, it's because very few people are willing to 
tell the truth about dairy. In fact, criticizing milk in America is like 
taking on motherhood, apple pie, or baseball. But that's just what I'm about 
to do.

Based on the research and my experience practicing medicine, I typically 
advise most of my patients to avoid dairy products completely. I like ice 
cream just as much as the next person, but as a scientist I have to look 
honestly at what we know. In today's blog I will explore many of the 
documented ill-effects of dairy, and give you six reasons you should avoid 
dairy at all costs.

The Reason I Have Problems with the USDA Food Pyramid

I'm aware that my advice to avoid dairy flies in the face of the new, 
"up-to-date" food pyramid from the United States Department of Agriculture 
(USDA). The USDA's pyramid recommends drinking 3 glasses of milk a day. 
What's wrong with that? Well, for one thing, it's not a recommendation that's 
based on strict science.

Some of the "experts" who helped create the pyramid actually work for the 
dairy industry, which makes the US Department of agriculture's 
recommendations reflect industry interests, not science or our best interests.

In fact, Walter Willet, M.D., Ph.D -- the second-most-cited scientist in all 
of clinical medicine and the head of nutrition at Harvard's School of Public 
Health -- is one of the pyramid's most vocal critics. He's even called its 
guidelines "udderly ridiculous." That's not something a Harvard scientist 
says lightly.

But Dr. Willett is right. The pyramid just isn't based on key scientific 
findings about health. In a moment we will take a look at some of the 
pyramid's recommendations and why I disagree with them.

But before I dissect why the current food pyramid is harmful to your health, 
I want to offer a bit of hope. I recently attended a medical conference put 
on by Harvard Medical School and the Culinary Institute of America called 
Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives and met Eric Rimm, who works closely with 
Walter Willett at Harvard School of Public Health and is a member of the 2010 
USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans Committee.

I asked him if he felt that science not industry would be shaping the new 
guidelines and he said there was now only one scientist with industry ties on 
the new panel and he was objective and agreeable to make changes when 
presented the data. I am anxious to see how the science matches policy but 
feel a ray of hope that for the first time in the history of our dietary 
guidelines we will see science predominate, not industry interests and that 
the language will be direct, clear and simple to understand for all 
Americans. The guidelines from the early 1990's promoting the consumption of 
6-11 servings of bread and cereals daily led to the pasta, carb, sugar 
generation and led to the largest epidemic of obesity in the history of our 
species.

Let's hope the new guidelines for 2010 will guide us toward greater health, 
not an increasing burden of obesity, diabetes and chronic disease. The USDA 
food policy guidelines form the basis of the school lunch program and it has 
contributed to a tripling of obesity in children. Let's hope we can serve up 
a different lunch menu for our children and our nation.

The simple idea that science should become policy is unfortunately one that 
has found little traction in Washington. But that seems to be shifting a 
little now.

Now back to why the last government guidelines from 2005 are harmful to your 
health!

1. Consume a variety of foods within and among the basic food groups while 
staying within your body's energy needs.

Sounds sensible -- but which food groups? If you choose dairy, meat, fats, 
and carbohydrates, the "perfect" meal could be a cheeseburger, milkshake, and 
fries with ketchup (potatoes and tomatoes are the two top vegetables consumed 
in America). Generic advice like that is pretty meaningless and potentially 
harmful.

2. Control your caloric intake to manage body weight.

Again, that sounds good, but as I wrote in my book UltraMetabolism, even the 
best-trained nutritionists and dietitians can't come close to correctly 
estimating their own caloric intake in a day. Also consider this: Is it okay 
to consume all of your calories from cola or ice cream as long as you stay 
within my caloric needs? Of course not. So this is more useless advice.

3. Increase intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nonfat or 
low-fat milk products.

Well, fruits, veggies, and whole grains are great. Milk -- not so much. I'll 
get back to that in a minute.

4. Choose carbohydrates wisely.

Who could argue with that? But how do they define "wisely"? The real advice 
here should be to cut down sugar intake from 185 pounds per person per year 
(what we currently consume) to less than a pound, avoid flour products 
(except as a treat), and stick to whole-food carbohydrates like vegetables, 
fruit, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.

5. Choose to prepare food with little salt.

That's not bad advice. But it doesn't make sense if most of what you eat is 
packaged or processed foods that you don't actually prepare. For most 
Americans who eat half of their meals outside their homes, this isn't 
helpful. A better recommendation would be to avoid packaged, processed, 
canned, prepared, and fast foods (unless you know exactly how they are made).

6. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

Sounds good -- but if you're usually drinking two bottles of wine a night, 
then one seems like moderation! I think a better suggestion is to limit your 
alcohol consumption to half a drink a day or 3 glasses a week (the amount 
that seems to have the most health benefit).

7. Don't eat unsafe foods.

Of course you shouldn't leave your egg salad out in the hot sun or toss your 
salad with hands that just handled raw chicken coated with salmonella. But 
the food pyramid guidelines don't mention pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, 
or genetically modified foods, despite scientific evidence of their harm. 
Shame on the USDA!

You can see now why I have big problems with the food pyramid! Its guidelines 
try to sound sensible -- while still protecting the interests of the food 
industry, the agriculture industry, and all of the lobbyists paying for the 
elections of the Congress. That way everybody's happy ...

But I'm not, and you shouldn't be either. The public just isn't served by 
this watered down, confusing, and useless pyramid. The next guidelines, I 
hope will be better, especially with independent scientists like Eric Rimm 
involved. Worse, some of the recommendations are downright harmful --like the 
one to drink more milk and dairy products.

The Truth about Dairy

According to Dr. Willett, who has done many studies and reviewed the research 
on this topic, there are many reasons to pass up milk, including:

1. Milk doesn't reduce fractures.(i) Contrary to popular belief, eating dairy 
products has never been shown to reduce fracture risk. In fact, according to 
the Nurses' Health Study dairy may increase risk of fractures by 50 percent!

2. Less dairy, better bones. Countries with lowest rates of dairy and calcium 
consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of 
osteoporosis.

3. Calcium isn't as bone-protective as we thought.(ii) Studies of calcium 
supplementation have shown no benefit in reducing fracture risk. Vitamin D 
appears to be much more important than calcium in preventing fractures.

4. Calcium may raise cancer risk. Research shows that higher intakes of both 
calcium and dairy products may increase a man's risk of prostate cancer by 30 
to 50 percent.(iii) Plus, dairy consumption increases the body's level of 
insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) -- a known cancer promoter.

5. Calcium has benefits that dairy doesn't. Calcium supplements, but not 
dairy products, may reduce the risk of colon cancer.(iv)

6. Not everyone can stomach dairy.(v) About 75 percent of the world's 
population is genetically unable to properly digest milk and other dairy 
products -- a problem called lactose intolerance.

Based on such findings, Dr. Willet has come to some important conclusions:

• Everybody needs calcium -- but probably not as much as our government's 
recommended daily allowance (RDA) and calcium from diet, including greens and 
beans is better utilized by the body with less risk than calcium supplements.

• Calcium probably doesn't prevent broken bones. Few people in this country 
are likely to reduce their fracture risk by getting more calcium.

• Men may not want to take calcium supplements. Supplements of calcium and 
vitamin D may be reasonable for women.

• Dairy may be unhealthy. Advocating dairy consumption may have negative 
effects on health.
If all that isn't enough to swear you off milk, there are a few other 
scientific findings worth noting. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently 
asked the UDSA to look into the scientific basis of the claims made in the 
"milk mustache" ads. Their panel of scientists stated the truth clearly:

• Milk doesn't benefit sports performance.

• There's no evidence that dairy is good for your bones or prevents 
osteoporosis -- in fact, the animal protein it contains may help cause bone 
loss!

• Dairy is linked to prostate cancer.

• It's full of saturated fat and is linked to heart disease.

• Dairy causes digestive problems for the 75 percent of people with lactose 
intolerance.

• Dairy aggravates irritable bowel syndrome.

Simply put, the FTC asked the dairy industry, "Got Proof?" -- and the answer 
was NO!

Plus, dairy may contribute to even more health problems, like:

• Allergies (vi)
• Sinus problems
• Ear infections
• Type 1 diabetes (vii)
• Chronic constipation (viii)
• Anemia (in children)

Due to these concerns, many have begun to consider raw milk an alternative. 
But that isn't really a healthy form of dairy either ...

Yes, raw, whole, organic milk eliminates concerns like pesticides, hormones, 
antibiotics, and the effects of homogenization and pasteurization -- but to 
me, these benefits don't outweigh dairy's potential risks.
>From an evolutionary point of view, milk is a strange food for humans. Until 
>10,000 years ago we didn't domesticate animals and weren't able to drink 
>milk (unless some brave hunter-gather milked a wild tiger or buffalo!).

If you don't believe that, consider this: The majority of humans naturally 
stop producing significant amounts of lactase - the enzyme needed to properly 
metabolize lactose, the sugar in milk -- sometime between the ages of two and 
five. In fact, for most mammals, the normal condition is to stop producing 
the enzymes needed to properly digest and metabolize milk after they have 
been weaned.

Our bodies just weren't made to digest milk on a regular basis. Instead, most 
scientists agree that it's better for us to get calcium, potassium, protein, 
and fats from other food sources, like whole plant foods -- vegetables, 
fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and seaweed.

So here is my advice for dealing with dairy.

6 Tips for Dealing with Dairy

• Take your Cow for a Walk. It will do you much more good than drinking milk.

• Don't rely on dairy for healthy bones. If you want healthy bones, get 
plenty of exercise and supplement with 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily.

• Get your calcium from food. These include dark green leafy vegetables, 
sesame tahini, sea vegetables, and sardines or salmon with the bones.

• Try giving up all dairy. That means eliminate milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice 
cream for two weeks and see if you feel better. You should notice 
improvements with your sinuses, post-nasal drip, headaches, irritable bowel 
syndrome, energy, and weight. Then start eating dairy again and see how you 
feel. If you feel worse, you should try to give it up for life.

• If you can tolerate dairy, use only raw, organic dairy products. I suggest 
focusing on fermented products like unsweetened yogurt and kefir, 
occasionally.

• If you have to feed your child formula from milk, don't worry. The milk in 
infant formula is hydrolyzed or broken down and easier to digest (although it 
can still cause allergies). Once your child is a year old, switch him or her 
to real food and almond milk.

Still got milk? I hope not! Remember, dairy is not crucial for good health. I 
encourage you to go dairy-free and see what it does for you.

Now I'd like to hear from you ...

Do you agree or disagree that dairy is bad for you?

Have you experienced any problems consuming dairy?

What changes -- for better or worse -- have you experienced if you've tried 
eliminating dairy?

Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below...

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, MD

References

(i) Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary calcium, 
and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study. Am J Public Health. 
1997 Jun;87(6):992-7.

(ii) Feskanich D, Willett WC, Colditz GA. Calcium, vitamin D, milk 
consumption, and hip fractures: a prospective study among postmenopausal 
women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Feb;77(2):504-11.

(iii) Tseng M, Breslow RA, Graubard BI, Ziegler RG. Dairy, calcium, and 
vitamin D intakes and prostate cancer risk in the National Health and 
Nutrition Examination Epidemiologic Follow-up Study cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. 
2005 May;81(5):1147-54.

(iv) Huncharek M, Muscat J, Kupelnick B. Colorectal cancer risk and dietary 
intake of calcium, vitamin D, and dairy products: a meta-analysis of 26,335 
cases from 60 observational studies. Nutr Cancer. 2009;61(1):47-69.

(v) Brannon PM, Carpenter TO, Fernandez JR, Gilsanz V, Gould JB, Hall KE, Hui 
SL, Lupton JR, Mennella J, Miller NJ, Osganian SK, Sellmeyer DE, Suchy FJ, 
Wolf MA. NIH Consensus Development Conference Statement: Lactose Intolerance 
and Health. NIH Consens State Sci Statements. 2010 Feb 24;27(2).

(vi) Bartley J, McGlashan SR. Does milk increase mucus production? Med 
Hypotheses. 2010 Apr;74(4):732-4.

(vii) Luopajärvi K, Savilahti E, Virtanen SM, Ilonen J, Knip M, Akerblom HK, 
Vaarala O. Enhanced levels of cow's milk antibodies in infancy in children 
who develop type 1 diabetes later in childhood. Pediatr Diabetes. 2008 
Oct;9(5):434-41.

(viii) El-Hodhod MA, Younis NT, Zaitoun YA, Daoud SD. Cow's milk allergy 
related pediatric constipation: Appropriate time of milk tolerance. Pediatr 
Allergy Immunol. 2009 Jun 25.

Mark Hyman, M.D. practicing physician and founder of The UltraWellness Center 
is a pioneer in functional medicine. Dr. Hyman is now sharing the 7 ways to 
tap into your body's natural ability to heal itself. You can follow him on 
Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on Youtube and become 
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