Do your body good and don't drink milk...?

Cows Milk

Cutting to the chase, cows milk is not good for you and there are a number of reasons why.  I'll be focusing specifically on Casein for this post. Casein is a type of protein that is only found in dairy products such as milk. Casein is broken down by enzymes in your body into something called Casomorphins. Casomorphins are opioid peptides (protein fragments) derived from the digestion of milk protein casein.

Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects.Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia.Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, treating opioid use disorder, reversing opioid overdose, suppressing cough, and suppressing opioid induced constipation.Extremely potent opioids such as carfentanil are only approved for veterinary use.Opioids are also frequently used non-medically for their euphoric effects or to prevent withdrawal.

Side effects of opioids may include itchiness, sedation, nausea, respiratory depression, constipation, and euphoria. Tolerance and dependence will develop with continuous use, requiring increasing doses and leading to a withdrawal syndrome upon abrupt discontinuation. The euphoria attracts recreational use, and frequent, escalating recreational use of opioids typically results in addiction. An overdose or concurrent use with other depressant drugs commonly results in death from respiratory depression.[6]

The casomorphins in bovine milk appear to have opposite effects than that from human breast milk on infant development, but what about A2 cow’s milk? Just as bad as regular A1 milk.

Milk Alternatives

In the 70s, more than 12,000 Adventist men were asked about their use of soy milk, and then, they were followed for up to 16 years to see who got cancer, and who did not. So: “Does high soy milk intake reduce prostate cancer incidence?” “Frequent consumption…of soy milk was associated with [a whopping] 70 per cent reduction of the risk of prostate cancer.” Similarly, in a “Multiethnic…Study” that involved a number of groups, soy intake appeared protective in Latinos, too.

Prostate cells carry beta type estrogen receptors, which appear to act as tumor suppressors, kind of a “‘gatekeeper’…inhibiting invasion [and] proliferation,” and preventing the prostate cells from turning cancerous in the first place.

How can soy foods have it both ways—pro-estrogenic effects in some organs (protecting bones and reducing hot flash symptoms), but anti-estrogenic effects in others (protecting against breast and endometrial cancer)?

The original theory for how soy phytoestrogens control breast cancer growth is that they compete with our own estrogens for binding to the estrogen receptor. As you drip more and more soy compounds on breast cancer cells in a petri dish, less and less actual estrogen is able to bind to them. So, the estrogen-blocking ability of phytoestrogens can help explain their anti-estrogenic effects. But, how do we then explain their pro-estrogenic effects on other tissues, like bone? How can soy have it both ways?

The mystery was solved when we discovered there are two types of estrogen receptors in the body. And, so, how a target cell responds depends on which type of estrogen receptors they have. This may be “the key to understanding the health-protective potential of soy phytoestrogens”—the existence of this newly discovered estrogen receptor, named estrogen receptor beta, to distinguish it from the classic estrogen receptor alpha. And, unlike our body’s own estrogen, soy phytoestrogens preferentially bind to the beta receptors.

Problems with Milk Alternatives

Red algae, which became known as Irish moss, to make a jellied dessert, now the source of carrageenan, a food additive used as a thickener in dairy and nondairy products, as well as a fat substitute causes a host of issue in peoples guts.

The latest suggests carrageenan consumption could possibly lead to a leaky gut, by disrupting the integrity of the tight junctions that form around the cells lining our intestine, which form the barrier between the outside world and our bloodstream. This was an in vitro study, though, in a petri dish. We still don’t know what effects, carrageenan has, if any, in whole human beings. Some researchers advise consumers to err on the side of caution, and select food products without carrageenan, accusing the FDA of ignoring its “harmful potential.”

Best Milk Alternative

The new USDA guidelines include soymilk, which may be good because drinking soymilk has been associated with weight loss, relieving constipation, reducing cancer risk (including breast cancer, see also here), and preventing COPD. Soymilk has 75% more antioxidants than cow’s milk (sample breakfast here), and contains phytoestrogens that have a number of health-promoting effects. Girls who drink soymilk as opposed to cow’s milk develop at a more normal age, beginning puberty 8 months later on average. Also, drinking soymilk with spices, such as curcumin, may especially beneficial. Check out chocolate pudding and milkshake recipes here. Soymilk is also a good source of calcium, but it may block the benefits of tea. Also, make sure to shake it well before pouring. Finally, soymilk made with kombu may contain too much iodine and should be reformulated. Sticking to 3-5 servings of soy a day is considered beneficial, while drinking a day may prevent the decline in IGF-1 levels one would ordinarily expect on a plant-based diet.