Health Benefits of Milk

Today, as matured adults, we tend to make a "fussy" nose movement if we are asked to drink a glass of milk. We often say that the smell irritates us! And we even choose to add 2 tsp of Bournvita, Horlicks or Complan to a cup of milk just to hide that smell with a strong flavor. But when we came to this earth, it is milk which saved our lives. It is milk which allowed our body to initiate its growth. And now we are rejecting its taste! If that be the case, then we should also stay away from other dairy products like cheese, butter, curd, clarified butter or ghee, dairy whitener, ice cream, cottage cheese or paneer, flavored milk and milk sweets! The fact is that our "greedy" tongue will not allow us to do so and we will go on craving for these yummy milky delights! Then why shouldn't we opt for a glass of milk in its pure form?

It is a complete health drink and contains almost all nutrients except iron and vitamin C. The beneficial health nutrients obtained from milk are mandatory for human body and help in the prevention of chronic ailments. Some of the health benefits of drinking this life-giving nectar are as follows:

1. Promotes Bone Health: Milk is the best source of calcium for our body. Calcium is widely recognized for its role in maintaining the strength and the density of bones. Bone disorders such as osteoporosis can be prevented with daily intake of adequate quantity of milk. Additionally, milk is a good source of vitamin D which plays a critical role in the preservation of bone health. Without sufficient Vitamin D, your body cannot absorb the calcium to build stronger bones.
2. Promotes Teeth Health: The amounts of calcium and phosphorous in milk and dairy products are also beneficial for the development and maintenance of healthy teeth. The most abundant protein in milk is casein and it performs a protective function by forming a thin film on the enamel surface which prevents the loss of calcium and phosphate from the enamel when the teeth are exposed to acids in the mouth. Studies have suggested that milk also reduces the effects of carcinogenic foods on teeth when consumed together with them in the diet.
3. Keeps You Hydrated: Fluids are an integral part of human body. In order to remain adequately hydrated, it is recommended that we consume 6 to 8 cups of fluid each day. Milk is an excellent choice of fluid as it not only re-hydrates the body, but also provides it with a host of beneficial nutrients.
4. Plays a Role in Skin Care: Milk is known to benefit your skin by helping it to maintain a fair and smooth complexion. Milk is also good for dry skin. The milk solids nourish the skin and make it smooth. The lactic acid present in milk is known to aid in removing the dead skin cells, thereby effecting skin rejuvenation.
5. Improves Diet and Vitamin Intake: According to a medical research, drinking milk considerably improves our intakes of vital minerals and vitamins. Milk is a rich source of vitamins and it contains valuable amounts of vitamin A, thiamine, riboflavin and niacin apart from vitamins D and B12 (which is absent in vegetarian diet), but it is a poor source of vitamins C and E.
6. Acts as a Good Source of Protein: Milk is a good source of low-cost, high-quality protein which is important for a number of bodily functions. Protein is vital for brain development and the growth of body tissues. The protein content of cows and buffalo milk is about 3.2 g and 4.25 g per 100 ml, respectively. In addition, the milk proteins mainly consist of casein (about 80%) and whey (about 20%). This signifies that the proteins in milk have high biological value.
7. Protects Against Metabolic Syndrome: Including milk and other dairy products in your healthy way of eating may reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome (a group of risk factors that occur together and increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes) by up to 62 percent. This is what a 20-year Caerphilly prospective study has to say. Linoleic acid, present in milk, improves insulin action and reduces blood glucose levels.
8. Protects Against Cancer: There is a considerable evidence to suggest that increased milk intake has a protective effect on the risks of colorectal as well as breast cancer. Calcium and a naturally occurring fat in dairy products known as Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) have been suggested as the protective components against colon cancer.
9. Protects Against Gout: Gout, a common type of arthritis, the onset of which typically involves the big toe, has been linked to eating foods high in purines, such as meats, fish (shellfish, mackerel, sardnes, herring) and Brewer's yeast. A study published in the March 2004 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine confirms that eating meat or fish increases the chances of getting affected with gout while eating more dairy products actually decreases gout risk.
10. Promotes Healthy Thyroid Functions: Milk is a very good source of iodine, which required by the body for the synthesis of the thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), both of which are essential for human life. These hormones play an important part in the controlling of the basic metabolic rate (BMR). Also, these hormones help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and body weight.
11. Reduces the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Studies suggest that regular consumption of low fat dairy products can help to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. A study of more than 37,000 middle-aged women and published in the 2006 issue of the journal Diabetes Care found that those with the highest intakes of dairy had a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers noted that each additional daily dairy serving was associated with a 4% drop in diabetes risk.
    
    Another research conducted by the researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the December 2010 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine reports about a substance, known as trans-palmitoleic acid, found primarily in dairy fat that appears to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. The researchers found that the people with the highest levels of the fatty acid in their blood had a threefold lower risk of developing diabetes over time than people with the lowest levels. Additionally, they had healthier HDL cholesterol levels ("good" cholesterol), lower body fat, and less insulin resistance.
12. Reduces Blood Pressure: An increasing number of studies suggest that consuming three portions of dairy products each day along with five portions of fruits and vegetables as part of a low salt diet can reduce high blood pressure in both adults and children.
13. Lowers the Risk of Kidney Stones: In older women and men, those consuming more foods rich in calcium and potassium and drinking lots of fluids especially milk, have already been shown to have a lower risk of getting affected with kidney stones. A 8-year study involving more than 96,000 young women (aged 27 to 44 years) and published in the April 2004 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine found that those who ate the most calcium-rich foods were 27 percent less likely to form kidney stones compared to those who ate the least.
14. Helps Lose Weight and Trims Your Tummy: Eating calcium-rich low-fat dairy products (such as cow's milk, yogurt and kefir) can boost your body's fat-burning mechanism, speed weight loss and trim your tummy. A study done at University of Tennessee found that obese adults who ate three servings of fat-free yogurt a day as part of a reduced calorie diet lost 22 percent more weight, 61 percent more body fat and 81 percent more stomach fat than those who followed the low calorie diet without the yogurt. According to researchers, when your body is deprived of calcium, it begins conserving calcium, and this prompts your body to produce higher levels of a hormone called calcitriol, which leads to fat storage in the body by making fat cells bigger and fatter. Extra calcium in your diet suppresses this hormone and your body breaks down more fat, and fat cells become leaner, trimmer.

We all know how important milk is for our health. But some of us still make a conscious effort to avoid the daily intake. Milk added to oats or muesli with nuts and raisins can really constitute a tasty and a healthy breakfast. Biting into cheese sandwiches or licking an ice-cream cone can find you greater joy and there is not much guilt hidden in it because you are still getting some health benefits, if not from the main "trunk", but from its "branches"!