Food is a Package Deal
What do we always hear about dairy? It is a great source of calcium, and it makes our bones strong! Food must be thought of as a whole package, not just a delivery mechanism for one particular nutrient.
There was a lawsuit a number of years ago where McDonald’s was suing some activists for making misleading claims. During the course of the trial, a McDonald’s executive was put on the stand who said that Coca-Cola contains water which is an essential nutrient. Can you think of any other way to get water that does come packaged with high-fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid, and caffeine?
The same principle applies to calcium. When using dairy as a means of obtaining calcium, what comes with it?
Saturated fat (the number 1 source for Americans, cheese)
Cholesterol
IGF-1 with its associated cancer risks (milk is designed to grow a calf to hundreds of pounds in a few months)
Neu5Gc (responsible for low grade chronic inflammation)
Increased inflammatory markers (C-Reactive Protein)
Added hormones
When you obtain calcium from plant sources (especially dark, leafy greens), what comes with it?
Fiber
Foliate
Antioxidants
Phytonutrients
Iron
Does Calcium from Dairy Actually Increase Bone Density?
Even if you were willing to accept all the baggage that comes with dairy for the sake of calcium, is that calcium actually doing you any good? Meta-analysis after meta-analysis has shown there is no association between drinking milk and reduced risk of fractures, in fact, studies have shown just the opposite.
We have discussed in our group before this puzzling correlation between increased milk consumption and increased risk of hip fractures. Hip fracture rates are highest in countries with the greatest milk consumption. A theory, which has recently been debunked, was that the acid load from the dairy caused the body to balance the PH by actually leaching calcium from the bones. Another theory has been that cultures that tend to drink the most milk are in more northern climates, so hip fractures are more common due to environmental conditions (ice).
Recently, however, a new theory about this has been published from a team of Swedish researchers who were troubled by this enigma. They knew that a rare birth defect called galactosemia exists that causes people not produce enzymes which can detoxify galactose, which is a simple sugar found predominantly in milk. This results in elevated levels of galactose in the blood which results in unusually high bone loss, even in children. The researchers theorized that even in healthy people, continued exposure to galactose (1 - 2 glasses of milk a day) could cause bone loss. The study they developed looked at milk intake versus mortality and fracture risk. The study followed 100,000 men and women for 20 years. In women they found a dose dependent relationship between milk consumption and all cause mortality. In fact, 3 glasses of milk a day was associated with twice the risk of death (more heart disease and more cancer). Additionally, they found the same group had a higher risk for hip fractures (9% increase for each glass of milk), which was also dose dependent: the more milk, the more hip fractures. These findings, however, did NOT hold with fermented milk products (like soured milk and yogurt), which lends credence to the galactose theory. The bacteria in fermented milk products have the ability to break down galactose so less makes it way into the human body with these products.
What about in children? Do children who drink milk increase bone density? Yes! But there is a catch. Harvard researchers performed this study on children and followed them later in life. Does higher calcium intake from dairy earlier in life have a more fracture protective effect later? No! The researchers found that the increase in bone mineral density gained earlier in life (teenage years) is lost within seven years, even while maintaining calcium supplementation.
Sources:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/flashback-friday-is-milk-good-for-our-bones/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15640478
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20949604
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24247817
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25352269
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22525982
http://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g6205