A streamlined stack of supplements designed to meet your most critical needs - Adapt Naturals is now live. Learn more

Does Dairy Cause Osteoporosis?

by

Last updated on

milk causes osteoporosis, dairy and osteoporosis
Healthy bones are integral to a healthy life. istock.com/feellife

I do a lot of myth-busting around here, and it’s usually conventional wisdom that crumbles in the face of scientific evidence. But this time I’m actually siding with conventional wisdom, and busting a myth that’s common in the alternative health community. I addressed this topic in-depth on a recent podcast, but it’s such a common question that I decided to write an article on it for easy reference.

The myth in question is the idea that dairy foods contribute to osteoporosis by ‘acidifying’ our bodies. This claim is especially common in vegan-oriented alternative health media, but also comes up in other internet realms, including those with a Paleo orientation.

The claim is based on the “acid-ash hypothesis of osteoporosis,” which I addressed extensively in my ‘Acid-Alkaline Myth’ series a couple months ago. (Check out part two as well.)

For those who missed the articles, this hypothesis states that foods high in phosphate leave an ‘acid ash’ after digestion, thereby lowering serum pH. The body supposedly compensates for this and restores normal blood pH by stealing alkaline minerals (such as calcium) from the bones, thus decreasing bone density.

Dairy products and bone health: one thing conventional wisdom gets right. Tweet This

Because of their phosphate content, milk and other dairy products are usually considered ‘acid-producing’ foods under this hypothesis. Thus, proponents claim that even though dairy contains calcium and other nutrients that can be used to build bone, dairy’s acidifying effect on the body outweighs its calcium content and results in a net loss of bone density.

Although I’ve already written about the hypothesis as a whole, I want to specifically address the claims regarding dairy for a few reasons. First, because my readership is acutely aware of how many times conventional wisdom has led us astray, I think we’re all more likely to believe a hypothesis that directly opposes mainstream health claims. In this case, dairy is so heavily advertised as a panacea for healthy bones that it would seem only natural for those claims to be dead wrong. You’ll see that (for once) this is not the case!

Additionally, I came across a 2011 study that specifically addresses the dairy-acid balance-osteoporosis connection. They came to some interesting conclusions that I want to share with you all, and hopefully we can put this issue to rest.

Dairy, Acid Balance, and Osteoporosis: The Real Scoop

In this study, “Milk and acid-base balance: proposed hypothesis vs. scientific evidence,” the authors review both the acid-ash hypothesis as a whole and the specific claim that dairy contributes to osteoporosis. After reviewing the scientific evidence (or lack thereof), they reach the same conclusions that I have: the studies available simply do not support this hypothesis.

First, they emphasize that urine pH is not indicative of systemic pH. In fact, except in cases of serious renal insufficiency, diet does not affect serum pH at all. If it did, we’d be in a lot of trouble! The pH of our blood is maintained in a very tight range, and if it deviates significantly, we will die very quickly. No doubt we can really mess up our health by eating the wrong things, but thankfully our minute-to-minute survival doesn’t hinge on whether we can correctly balance the acidity or alkalinity of the foods we eat.

Further, the bones don’t even come into play in the regulation of our serum pH; that’s our kidneys’ job. Any ‘acid ash’ that is left behind by the foods we eat can be easily dealt with and eliminated in the urine. This is why your urine changes pH depending on what you eat. It’s just a sign that your kidneys are doing their job!

In short, their conclusions simply reiterate the points I made in my Acid-Alkaline series, and demonstrate that the acid-ash hypothesis of osteoporosis has no scientific backing. But perhaps the most interesting thing about this particular study on milk is the authors’ assertion that dairy isn’t even acid-forming in the first place!

The authors cite two studies that indicate that milk actually leaves an alkaline ash as opposed to an acid ash, based on measurements of urine pH and net acid excretion (NAE) following milk ingestion in clinical trials. (Remember, this doesn’t mean that milk raises serum pH. Foods can change urine pH, but not blood pH!)

So not only is the hypothesis itself wrong; the application of the hypothesis is wrong too, at least in the case of dairy. Even if the acid ash hypothesis of osteoporosis were viable, there would still be no mechanism by which dairy would contribute to osteoporosis.

Like what you’re reading? Get my free newsletter, recipes, eBooks, product recommendations, and more!

Dairy Probably Is Good for Your Bones After All

The majority of the evidence indicates that conventional wisdom may actually be right about dairy. Clinical studies have found that drinking milk leads to a positive calcium balance, indicating that more calcium was absorbed than was excreted. (1) Other studies show that phosphate in general – not just from milk – increases calcium retention and improves bone health. (2) Increased dairy consumption is also consistently associated with lower rates of osteoporosis and better bone health. We all know to take observational studies with a grain of salt, but when clinical data backs up their conclusions, they’re significantly more convincing.

For example, an increased dairy intake in postmenopausal Korean women was associated with a decreased risk for osteoporosis. (3) Another study found that in the US, dairy intake was a significant predictor of osteoporosis among postmenopausal women. (4) And in Polish women, higher dairy consumption during childhood and adolescence predicted better bone health as adults. (5)

Although you won’t see me sporting a milk mustache in a “Got Milk?” ad anytime soon, it does appear that dairy can be beneficial for bone health. That’s not to say it’s necessary; after all, we got along just fine without dairy for most of human history! But based on the evidence, it’s safe to say that dairy does not contribute to osteoporosis, and full-fat dairy (preferably raw) can be a beneficial addition to the diet for many people.

ADAPT Naturals logo

Better supplementation. Fewer supplements.

Close the nutrient gap to feel and perform your best. 

A daily stack of supplements designed to meet your most critical needs.

Chris Kresser in kitchen
Affiliate Disclosure
This website contains affiliate links, which means Chris may receive a percentage of any product or service you purchase using the links in the articles or advertisements. You will pay the same price for all products and services, and your purchase helps support Chris‘s ongoing research and work. Thanks for your support!

379 Comments

Join the conversation

  1. Today is May23, 2019 – Today, I read your article and the reference you gave about milk not causing osteoporosis. I was searching for someone to give the science and was so glad to find your writing. But did you notice at the bottom of the science report that credit was given to the dairy industry? I been reading a lot, and learned we can know the science reports are likely biased. But you were so confident.

    I am 85, been freely drinking milk and using much dairy for a couple of years to protect me from osteoporosis, but learned in January that I have it, and badly, the doctor said. Now I need guidance for my life’s sake. Please clarify this for me. Thanks. Shirley

  2. Wow — I am thinking you are being paid by the dairy industry. As another stated — do some more research. We are the only species that drinks the milk of another animal, and we are the only species that does so after weaning. Human milk comes in a 4% protein, cow’s milk at 40%. Too much protein is very hard on the human body and does move the ph to the acidic side, which we need to regulate quickly or we will die. Why is it that study after study has been done and the countries with the largest consumption of dairy has the highest rates of osteoporosis? Why is it that our lovely government keeps increasing the somatic cell count (pus) so we can keep supporting the diary and pharmaceutical industries (yes, more antibiotics are given to farm animals than humans. You are a dangerous person.

  3. Wow — I am thinking you are being paid by the dairy industry. As another stated — d some more research. We are the only species that drinks the milk of another animal, and we are the only species that does so after weaning. Human milk comes in a 4% protein, cow’s milk at 40%. Too much protein is very hard on the human body and does move the ph to the acidic side, which we need to regulate quickly or we will die. Why is it that study after study has been done and the countries with the largest consumption of dairy has the highest rates of osteoporosis? Why is it that our lovely government keeps increasing the somatic cell count (pus) so we can keep supporting the diary and pharmaceutical industries (yes, more antibiotics are given to farm animals than humans. You are a dangerous person.

  4. Unedited: I’ve been an advocate, a fanatic really, of raw milk. For months and months I felt fine and also for months and months, not myself and often I felt sick. Sick to my gut, a constant hacking cough as if I was 99 years old with a ton of congestion and then pneumonia hit me, and the hacking got worse, then antibiotics and sort of got rid of pneumonia, but not feeling right. The cough continued, not all night, but always one with mucus overload. I would be sitting with my family and that cough would happen, embarrassing, but also alarming. What the hell was going on. Meanwhile, I paid 15.00 a gallon for raw milk and swore by it never suspecting it might, maybe, could it be, no, not possible, the problem and causing indigestion, pneumonia or a weak immune system, etc.? One day the raw milk ran out and the dairy had a salmonella test that was positive. I drank pasteurized milk mixed with homemade yogurt from pasteurized milk. Odd, I thought, I starting feeling rather good, and a few days later, no mucus, no cough, and my appetite seemed to be improving. Why? No, it couldn’t be the raw milk I swore by and seemed ready to fight to the death any notion of being denied raw, costly, rich milk from a dairy I visited some months ago. They were shut down for two months after that visit with a number of bacterial problems but opened again and I of course felt the shut down was simply ignorant government employees trying to look good by blaming the dairy for, actually proven, ongoing bacteria that caused a family to have a couple of sick children. Still, my fanaticism raged on. I’m going to cut out the raw milk for awhile and see how things go. In a way I hope it caused my health problems, problems I’ve never had in my life and it was a gradual onset, not just sudden knee-buckling illness(es). On the other hand, should I not completely recover, then I’ll have to start searching why the illnesses developed. If I completely recover, and I have a feeling I probably will, I will write an apology comment to all of those I scoffed at, maybe mocked, even hinted they might not be too bright and me the Genius of the Western world who recommended raw milk for everyone not because I had science to prove it but because I was influenced by a few nutritionists and they seemed to have a better take of the subject than those who were anti-raw milk, like the CDC, etc. I doubt if anyone will read this, but I feel good doing it.

  5. Hi All, my question about the bone issue is related to comments made by a well known Doctor practicing here in the in the U.K.Her position on dairy was related to the calcium to magnesium ratio I believe 10-1. It’s claimed our bodies require a ratio of 2-1 therefore a conflict occurs for absorption between the calcium and magnesium which may result in a magnesium deficiency which of course would not help the bone issue. This Doctor is pretty much Paleo and I do like her thinking on most issues. Could any one comment on this theory? Thanks.

  6. I believe it’s the high calcium in cow’s milk which contributes to osteoporosis and fracture risk:

    “In healthy subjects, osteoblastic bone cells respond to the influx of calcium by composing a matrix upon which calcium precipitates. In the process of creating this matrix, 50-70% of the involved osteoblasts die. The greater the influx of calcium, the greater osteoblast activity, and the greater osteoblast apoptosis rate. An increased osteoblast apoptosis rate leads to a decrease in the age-related osteoblast replicative capacity (ARORC). In comparison to healthy bone, in osteoporotic bone the decrease in the replicative capacity of osteoblastic cells is greater. Due to the eventual resulting lack of osteoblast activity, micro-fractures cannot be repaired. Continuously maintaining a high BMD comes with continuously high bone remodeling rates, which regionally exhaust the ARORC, eventually leading to irreparable microfractures.”
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15949902

  7. First, your #3 point above states that dairy consumption is a predictor of osteoporosis (it is, as studies correlating dairy consumption and risk of osteoporosis have shown time and again). If you honestly believe grown humans benefit from consuming the breastmilk of a different species for ideal health, can you please explain the recent Harvard study showing dairy consumption having a negative affect on bone health. There are dozens of other studies discussed by Dr Michael Gregor, MD (who does not receive money from any organization that could benefit from the interpretation of study results- please see nutritionfacts.org. I am honestly curious as to your position debunking the science discussed by Dr Gregor and the significant increase in osteoporosis in women consuming large amounts of dairy products. Thank you for your time.

    • Anything Greger states is suspect. First of all he advocates a diet that will eventually cause illness from being deficient in B12, zinc, iron, protein, and K2 among others. Why does he do that? He found an audience or he’s playing games. He says all profits from books and lecture go to good causes. Hmm. This salesman advocates and prescribes a diet lacking nutrients and appealing to some very naïve people. Vegans claim milk is a plague, and if that’s all we consumed, it undoubtedly would be a problem.
      Here is iron deficiency: iron deficiency include fatigue, decreased work and school performance, slow cognitive and social development during childhood, difficulty maintaining body temperature, decreased immune function, and glossitis (an inflamed tongue).
      zinc deficiency: Top five signs of zinc deficiency are:
      Compromised immune system: prone to infection or flu. Diarrhea: A compromised immune system makes one susceptible to infection. Hair loss (Note, Michael Greger does have hair loss) and skin lesions: Zinc nutrition deficiency weakens the cells, which can result in hair loss in case of cells on the scalp and lesions on the skin. This is one of the prominent signs of zinc deficiency. Other signs of zinc deficiency are reduced fertility, rashes on the skin, spots on fingernails, sleep disturbance, loss of sex drive, loss of taste or smell, and ¬ in some cases ¬ mild anemia.
      K2 deficiency: Vitamin K2 regulates arterial calcification through protein modulation. In one study, those who had the highest amount of vitamin K2 were 52 percent less likely to experience calcification in their arteries and 57 percent less likely to die from heart disease over a seven to 10 year period. K2 can be gotten from natto, but one has to acquire a taste for it, but grass fed beef and milk from pastured cows. Personally I wouldn’t care but when things get so outrageous and simply wrong, something is aroused, mainly to ignore such a man who claims to be a helping people when the only thing he’s helping is getting attention for lies or at best false information. Let him debate Gary Taubes or a few others, this guy would not do that. There’s a website claiming Einstein was a vegan. Albert’s brain could never have grown to do the impressive things he did, but vegans will grab onto anything to prop up their position. Even lie. I have never heard an omnivore lie about his or her diet. It’s quite simple, and insofar as a glass of raw milk per day goes, really, one doesn’t end up with osteoporosis but being a vegan it’s a sure thing eventually. A simple statement: How could a diet be recommended that assures those who follow it they will become nutritionally deficient. Greger would deny such a thing, but pressed he’d have to admit a vegan diet does lack necessary nutrients. This is such a waste or time. I’m done with it.

  8. Hi guys what about the puss the white blood cells from the cows teet? And what about the unfiltered water with flouride found in the 2% milk?

    I recently switched to almond milk I didn’t like the taste.
    I just bought soy milk to try not sure about it though.

    I would like to buy whole milk (red milk) but trying to watch my cholesterol.

    BTW nice article, will have to further look into the studies about there being no link to osteoporosis.

    • Cashew milk (especially homemade- no chemicals) is the creamiest milk I’ve tried and my kids love it.

    • It’s not puss, it’s pus, it’s not teet, it’s teat. Raw whole milk from Jersey cows on pasture year round is a healthy way to go. Some claim anything from another animal is not natural, but the last I looked it’s not natural to sit and type out this nonsense either, or drink sodas that have 12 teaspoons of sugar added, or smoke cigarettes, or drink alcohol, or about 20,000 more things. If we went back to natural, we’d find ourselves heading where the weather’s warmer, competing with animals for territory and if we went vegan here’s the way the planet would look if we absolutely didn’t kill animals:
      Presently there are 21,000,000,000 chickens, and if we didn’t eat them but allow their chicks to reproduce after 6 months and onto five years of age, it takes 21 days for chickens to hatch. Multiply 7 times 21,000,000,000 and you get 147,000,000,000. That’s in one year, now multiply that by 7 and you get 882,000,000,000 and just for fun let’s do it for two more years time 6 or 12 time 882, and we get 10,584,000,000,000 and divide 7,000,000,000 and just for fun let’s go three more years and not include cows, cattle, goats, turkeys, lamb, pigs, and whatever else we eat, and we’d have 190,512,000,000,000 and rather than a little over 1500 chickens per person on earth, we’d have a bit of a crowd, try: 27,216 chickens per person.

      The fact is we evolved to be meat, milk, fruit, vegetable, egg eaters or be taken over by the animal kingdom. If one adds all the animals we’ve domesticated, the number per person would close to 1,000,000 animals per human species. At that point the vegans would turn into rampaging animal killers and especially if one of their children got their eyes pecked out or stomped on by a raging bull, etc. Our reign of terror will end sooner than we think should be continue to destroy the ozone layer and poison the earth, but we could change things and make the earth a paradise. Will we? I don’t see that kind of wisdom or self-control, we’ll get sent packing someday and all our beads and bangles will suddenly look like so much garbage that killed our species. With that depressing thought, I’m going to have a beer.

      • Robert,
        Basic economics shows that if fewer people want a product, the supplier will stop making the product. Therefore, if fewer people buy eggs, the supplier will stop breeding as many chickens and fewer eggs will be produced. The entire world isn’t going to go vegan at once anyways, so the amount would slowly decline. Like I said, basic economics. The milk you are suggesting is highly unsustainable and if everyone got milk like that we would need multiple worlds just in order for the cows to have enough land. I’d definitely recommend watching the documentary Cowspiracy because your comment really makes no sense.
        illumiNOT, I definitely recommend cashew milk like Megan suggested! It’s a lot healthier than milk and a lot more sustainable!

        • Cashew Milk IS the most Creamiest vegan “milk” alternative I’ve had. The chocolate was delicious. BUT, it triggered my asthma and made my sinuses stuffy & inflamed. Cashews and Peanuts are BOTH high in MOLD toxins and Lectins. Also they are both Legumes. I am mold sensitive to molds. Fyi…

        • If there were the number of chickens I claim, other animals will soon feast on chickens, and they will multiply and the idea of being wrong because Katherine seems to think basic math comes into play, if nobody wanted eggs or chickens, what would stop chickens from reproducing anyway. At the point they are not high or even on the menu of millions, what, they will simply quit life! They are omnivores of the most basic kind, but we feed them seeds and make vegans out of them. Take a real chicken eating insects, yummy stuff for them, wild seeds, etc., and put them in combat contest with a domestic chicken and the domestic bird would be toast. If the animal world had its way we’d be on their menu and to prevent complete extinction of wild animals we did something brilliant, we raised animals to feast on and thrive on, the only problem was Monsanto and a few other maniacs just had to think, “grow rich” use antibiotics, growth hormones, etc., and that’s what was screwing up real food choices for omnivores. This morning I was a vegetarian, I had eggs, milk, yogurt, mushrooms, butter and onions cooked in ghee. At noon I was an omnivore, meat, veggies, etc., and for snacks I’m a vegan, blueberries, strawberries, etc. and dinner a combination of each. Some veggies, yogurt, meat, etc. The thing about vegans is, they thought they’d save the world if they quit eating meat and there’s no diet that is abandoned more than the vegan diet. Their heroes are the last people on earth any real person would emulate. T. Colin Campbell, good grief, look at him. He gets attention being a vegan and recommending a way of eating that is deficient in much needed nutrients, I call that irresponsible.

      • That was hilarious!…..

        I saw that documentary Forks over Knives on. Reflux and it turned my thinking upside down. I considered myself a milkaholic…. dairy product meat eater ect.
        After a recent bone density test showed moderate bone loss…I thought how could that be… I drank so much milk over the years. I’m so confused…… such conflicting info.

        • On Netflix!….. not reflux…. damn autocorrect.
          The two scientists were very compelling on the no dairy no meat argument.

  9. I think Chris’es conclusions are excellent – at least from acid-ash hypothesis. The problem is that higher consumption of calcium does not do the job, if there’s not enough of other vitamins and minerals, esp. vitamin D and vitamin K2 – avid followers of Chris Kresser’s work know that… In that perpective – not all milk is equal in prevention of ostheoporosis. UHT skimmed milk or half-fat milk is just a sugary water (lactose is a suger, after all) without D and K2 quantities to get calcium (that remains even in UHT skimmed milk) to the place where we need it the most – to our bones.

  10. Your facts are definitely wrong. You might want to look into your research better. We shouldn’t be drinking any milk from another species for Calcium intake or any other reason. What other animal does this?

    • Oh Brother, what fun it will be explaining some realities on this one. In the Alps, for instance, the tribe of about 2000 hardy people ate, of all things, cheese and rye bread and it carried them through rather stormy winters where there’s no veggies growing, fruit, and they certainly are not Vegan or Vegetarian. They eat, or ate, for I don’t know if they survived the lunacy of the Western lifestyle, for instance why am I typing this comment, sitting at a desk, and hauling food out of my refrigerator whenever I need it while 2/3rds of the nation, U.S.A. is overweight or obese? Back to that “wacko” Alps tribe who just happened to have 0.03 dental caries out of 96 teeth, meaning it would take 300 teeth to register one cavity, while we “advanced” Americans seldom have 32 teeth and those we have are often decayed or have been. Think winter, think out of Africa, think desperation, think Masai, think tapping the vein of a cow for blood and mixing it with the milk of the same animal and they have little of no heart problems, and their teeth, mercy, if I had teeth like that I’d never stop smiling. We’re not foraging animals with sharp claws and teeth, we’re big brained animals who do what we need to do. All this talk of we sucking at the breasts of cows is idiotic and designed to turn people off milk, probably vegans or vegetarians with their propaganda hat on. Over half of vegans quit that insane diet and their hero, T. Colin Campbell looks 110 at 83 years old and his China Study is pure nonsense from the mind of a neurotic looking for eternal life on earth. Additionally, China is the country with the highest percentage of diabetics on earth with over half a billion prediabetes, and they aren’t drinking milk. Certified raw milk from ancient breed cows like Jersey raised on grass and I don’t mean Marijuana, are a gift for we Northerners, and apparently some Africans where we have our ancestral roots. We are on the wrong track with our technology, pesticides, GMO Monsanto’s dispersing even more poison, and should we go through the 80,000 toxic chemicals that are everywhere, a few here and there but never gone, and what do we have here: Milk is bad. How ridiculous and based on flawed science. Hunter Gatherers would never, ever eat a soy bean, why break a tooth and eat something so obnoxious even if they cooked it if they were lucky enough to find a fire started by lightening. But if they were starving and the udder of a cow or rotting meat were around, the process would have begun. Truth is a miraculous way of finding solutions, some of those naysayers with an agenda might look into that, but they won’t for the most part, they get attention saying things that are questionable at best and dead wrong most of the time. Any diet that leads to B12 deficiencies, plus zinc, iron and protein is not something that any down to earth animal would get into to, only humans who obviously are going to commit species suicide if they continue on the road they’re on. Who needs carbohydrates? Nobody, carbohydrates are a zero requirement for life for Homo Sapiens. Doubt that, and yes, milk has carbs, but I’m only saying the carb requirement evolved not as a necessity but as something available, like fruit, etc. All around us is processed food madness and what does the anti milk advocates put their energy into? No milk, bad stuff, meant for calves, not people. Rotting meat is not meant to be eaten but has been many times and at the Donner Summit a few humans ate their own. Besides, Swiss cheese and many other raw cheeses are healthful, delicious and enabled Alps’ tribes to get through the winter. Oh yes, did I mention, sometimes some of the younger of the tribe would venture to a place where processed food was available, and they got dental caries, when they returned to the tribe some of the caries would gloss over, plus they didn’t have tooth brushes in the Alps. I asked a very pricey dentist in Bellevue, WA if that was possible? Answer: Yes, he’d seen it, the dentist, Dr. Swxxxxy. I’m done. (I’d be remiss if I gave out his name)

      • I love your discussion regarding chemicals and pollutants contributing to poor health- I’m totally with you. I personally do not think we have any need to drink secretions from another species, but I believe the biggest problems in dairy milk nowadays are the hormones pumped into the cows to overproduce milk constantly, as well as the chemicals and poor living conditions experienced by the milking cows (just as it does for a human Mom, stress levels, drugs, chemicals and hormones spill out into the breastmilk while they are nursing). In addition, mastitis is a very regular occurance for cows due to untreated regular abrasions and presence of stool and bacteria everywhere in a cow barn. So, we are drinking bovine breastmilk (which contains enough growth hormone for a baby cow to grow to 1,000lbs in a year), blood, puss, stool and all the hormones, antibiotics and chemicals present in the animal’s system. With he increase in chemicals everywhere with western culture today, these toxins congregate in animal tissues and secretions/excretions- magnifying exposure with human consumption.

    • Uh, Maxi, you are saying Chris is wrong, yet you don’t have any proof to back that up. Where are YOUR references?

      And just because no other animal drinks another’s milk makes no sense. It does not mean the milk is bad for us.

      Please use common sense.

    • Let’s see, 10-12 oz. of milk per day, plus vegetables, small amounts of fruit , none in the cold months, no bread, cereal, sugar, etc., and more or less, follow a Ketogenic/Atkins diet, sort of, lots and lots of fat, meaning saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat, as in coconut oil, raw butter, ghee, lard, tallow and duck fat, plus a little olive oil. Plenty of pure water, not from commercial markets in bottles, purely a con-game created by criminal minds, I think Trump tried the water thing, which figures since he has a criminal mind. Look up the ketogenic diet, it’s been around a long, long time and cured many epileptic patients, but not all. Atkins got his ideas from the ketogenic sector and today, his diet, demonized at first, is most effective in weight loss by a 3-5 times margin. And what difference does it make if one drinks raw milk from pastured cows? A lot, they are healthier, etc., not the same with pasteurized commercial milk. Look at it this way: Whole raw milk from pastured cows is not a food for total survival except for a calf until such a time it’s on it’s own. However, it’s part of some people diets, it has good fats, phosphorous, calcium, a tad of magnesium, B12, something vegans can’t get unless they go animal foods. For two million years we’ve been eating animals, lots of fats, seasonal berries, etc. In other words, a cup and one half of milk make up 210 calories out of a daily 2000 calorie day. That leaves about 1800 calories for the rest, and it is a complete protein, supplies us with whipping cream, butter, and cheese. So, what’s the problem? Oh, I forgot, no other animal eats milk from other animals. The fact is, they do and especially our pets, but do wild animals? Being wild may sound, uh, wild, but we aren’t. Mother’s milk from Homo Sapiens, is high in fat and it’s the fat that makes our brain grow, without the fat, limited intelligence. Those who use the “No other animal,” argument, or whatever, seem to forget we’re not only the most intelligent mammal, we’re by far the most intelligent mammal. If anyone wants to see how intelligent and how different, go the Nora Gedgaudas’s video shown on YouTube: Nora Gedgaudas—The ‘Holy Grail’ of Primal Health: Benefits of a Fat-Based Caloric Intake. Once a person watches her video, and several others, we start to realize the bad rapping raw milk, commercial milk is fair game, is rather silly and a waste of time. Why do people do it? That’s an easy question to answer, “They are often going vegan, and if there’s a more devious sector in the diet wars, I have yet to find any. Certainly it’s not lacto vegetarians, but vegans, mercy, what a sad lot they are. They have even claimed we are made to be vegans and started out as vegans. I would like to point out just one fact: In the late fall, winter and early spring, there aren’t any veggies, fruits, etc., We ate insects, small animals raw, and whatever else we could find. I don’t respect vegans, but I do respect their right to be stupid.

  11. Please look at the health of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese since WW2. The improvement is clear and obvious.

    • The last time I looked, we’re the only mammals who cook their food, ferment their food, make pots, pans, glass ware, tablecloths, cars, pump gas, etc. Additionally, we don’t have to pasteurize dairy, raw from pastured cows/goats/sheep drunk in whatever quantity makes on feel good has been know to heal many ills. Animals don’t have midwives, pediatricians, or psychiatrists. In other words comparing us to all or any mammals is plain silly. Think about it. We are different. We’re more or less hairless, we walk upright, our brains are larger than other animals weight to brain size ratio (sperm whale’s brain in larger but it’s body weighs 32,000 pounds. If you put it’s brain size, 18 pounds and ours at 3 pounds with a 160 pound average you get 0.00056% of brain matter for the whale, and 0.02@ for humans. In other words, the whale would have be lose 31,100 pounds to a weight of 900 pounds to have the same ratio of functional brain power as a human. That would only make it equal, not surpass us. To surpass us it would have to drop another 200 pounds, but even then it might have a hiccup or two trying.

  12. From what I have picked up from blogs of some credible sources like the HBR, osteoporosis occurs due to insufficiency of Calcium and Vitamin D. Milk has Calcium but so has a lot of other products like leafy vegetables, which also has Phosphorus. What we novices don’t understand is that it is not like making a mixture (like 2 tbsp cal+ 100ml milk). It is complicated that that. Again sun rays produce vita D but WHO says tanning is not necessary. 15 minutes of sunlight exposure/day is all you need. Be careful, it says, UVA and UVB rays can give you skin cancer. Conclusion: continue eating healthy diet (and species breast milk theft is a political issue) and consult your doctor. After my extensive readings, my ignorance is more now. So much for osteoporosis, :/

    • Foods to eat: Raw milk from pastured cows, raw butter, red meat from pastured animals, organic vegetable, organic fruit but not much, beef tallow to cook with, lard, ditto, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, herbs, chicken eggs from chickens out and abut, them, too, raw cheese, olive oil but make sure it’s all olive oil and organic, etc., pure water, yogurt made from pastured milk, raw if possible, you have to make it yourself, easy to do. Pemmican in the winter when traveling. But when celebrating holidays, eat whatever is served and lots of it. Wild salmon, and whatever follows the organic rule of thumb.

      Foods not to eat: Anything processed by demonic psychopaths in the processed food businesses. I met them and I assure you, they are devils. Not the little folks who serve those crazies, but the CEO’s etc. I could tell you stories just how unethical they are, but that’s too redundant, but I am sympathetic for those who cannot afford organic foods, and few can or know much about it.