(Note from Erin: Although I live a plant-based lifestyle I never force it on anyone. However, my goal and aim for our community is to share truth. To that end, while this story is a little old, we have updated it and feel it’s information you should have.)
According to Harvard magazine, the milk we drink today, even if it DOESN’T contain growth factors, might not be as healthy as you think.
When Ganmaa Davaasambuu, a Mongolian physician, was concerned about the high levels of hormones found in commercially produced milk she decided to do a bit of study. What she found should make you rethink drinking regular, store-bought milk. Even organic milk:
“…milk-producing cows in commercial dairies, through use of artificial insemination and high-quality winter feed, are kept pregnant and lactating 300 days a year. ‘Cows are like humans,’ she explains. ‘When they get pregnant, the estrogen levels in their blood, milk, and urine increase. [Tests of pregnant humans detect similar increases.] This made me wonder—since the cows are pregnant all the time, the hormone levels in their milk should be really high.’
While earning her doctorate in environmental health in Japan, Ganmaa began investigating the prevalence and effects of these naturally occurring hormones. In her native Mongolia, traditional patterns of milking—the same as those used in Westernized countries until the 1920s—are still followed: pasture-fed cows are milked only through the first three months of a new pregnancy. Their raw milk had only one-tenth the progesterone that she and her colleagues found in commercially produced milk in Japan.
In a 2002 study of cancer and diet in 42 countries, Ganmaa and colleagues found that countries with the highest consumption of dairy products suffered the highest rates of prostatic and testicular cancer. (A similar study Ganmaa did in 2005 showed much the same results for breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers.) In 2003, the group focused on the relationship between rising rates of these cancers and increased dairy consumption in Japan. Prior to World War II, the Japanese consumed very little milk, and rates of these cancers were low. But in the 1950s, a school-lunch program that included milk was instituted nationwide. Since that time, the intake of milk has increased twentyfold, and the incidence of prostate cancer has increased twenty-five-fold.”1
Now, if that wasn’t enough to make you do a double take, consider this; taking in a cow’s hormones- which are so detrimental to our own health- might cause the following:2
Insulin Issues- One of the primary reasons dairy is linked to acne is that it raises insulin in the body. All dairy contains IG1, or insulin-growth factor. It raises our levels of insulin, which causes blood sugar swings that lead to acne. Acne is strongly influenced by hormonal changes, which is one reason so many teenagers struggle during puberty. Regardless of the dairy you choose, you’re taking in excess insulin growth like factor.
Mood Swings- Dairy also contains hormones that can lead to mood swings. Estrogen and testosterone are our sex hormones, and when they get out of balance according to our bodies’ needs, we suffer mood swings as a result. Dairy milk promotes excess estrogen in the body due to it containing estrogen from female cows. At the same time, milk naturally contains androgenic properties, so it raises testosterone in the body and can cause bulking quickly. It’s absolutely chock-full of all these hormones we don’t need scurrying throughout bodies. Think about it this way: the dairy you consume contains hormones from the female cow and the male cow that were used during impregnation.
Cancer- The jury is in: milk causes cancer in any form, organic or not. Check this out: Harvard Health studies show that dairy milk and cheese products led to testicular cancer in men ages 20-39 and has been found to affect breast, colon, and prostate cancer heavily as well. And then there’s the casein protein found in milk that has also been linked to cancer. Even without hormones or even lactose, casein is a detrimental protein to our health and should be avoided however possible.
And so, instead of drinking store-bought, full of estrogen milk, I’d recommend a good quality hemp, almond or coconut (preferably not soy) milk from the health food store or organic section in your grocery. Or, make your own almond milk, check out the video below!
And, if you are feeling adventurous, try making your own coconut milk- you really have more options than you might know. Regardless, enjoy and as always, if you make one of the recipes we share, tell us all about it!
While more animal and human tests need to be done before scientists will draw firm conclusions, it’s a good idea to limit your dairy intake. Unless the cow is yours or comes from a farmer you know who isn’t using growth hormones and isn’t milking while the cow is pregnant.
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