Why Dairy Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be

- Exposure to dairy before the age of 1 is correlated with type 1 diabetes
- One of the proteins in dairy, casein, is associated with increased rates of cancer
- The sugar in dairy, lactose, is related to ischemic heart disease. Many, many people have trouble digesting this sugar.
- Milk consumption is linked to bladder, colorectal, prostate, and testicular cancers
- Dairy is the highest source of dioxin in the standard American diet, found in especially high levels in butter and cheese. Dioxin is a toxic chemical that can cause cancer.
- Consumption of milk protein can increase levels of IGF-1 {insulin-like growth factor} in the body, which promotes the growth of cells- both normal and cancerous.
- Dairy has been linked to a number of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Graves’ disease, and type 1 diabetes. {The proposed theory here is that some people’s bodies cannot distinguish the difference between cow’s milk proteins and their own proteins.}
- Dairy is “mucus-producing”- this can cause built up phlegm, acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
- Dairy products may contain hormones {even if “organic”} and promote increased level of hormone production in the body.
- Not only is milk not the only good source of calcium, but it does not prevent osteoporosis. In fact, the it can play a role in the destruction of bone due to the acid load and erosion of bone-building cells.

Although these things have been shown in research, it still leaves a lot of unanswered questions and conflicts among other studies. There is evidence that low-fat dairy products and yogurt increase fat loss. There’s no argument that the probiotics in dairy and other cultured/fermented products are beneficial to the gut and immune system. Whey and casein {dairy proteins} are beneficial proteins for recovery in sports nutrition. So where does that leave us? Good question!
If all this leaves you confused, you’re not alone. Wondering if you should or shouldn’t be eating dairy? While some of these things would require a glass ball into the future, other things can easily be deciphered. Stop eating dairy for a month. How do you feel? The same? Then eat dairy. Better? Cut it out or limit it. Worse? Hmmmmmm. I can’t tell if I’m reducing my cancer risk by how I feel, but it’s extremely clear to me that my stomach issues are minimized when I cut back the dairy.
The same strategy can be used for any “trend”- gluten, vegetarian, etc. Listen to your body and make your OWN decisions.