Milk Really Do a Body Good?

Drink your milk! Some of us heard this command many times growing up, and most of us never questioned it. At some point we all learned—whether from our parents, our health science teachers, or ads on TV and in magazines—that milk from cows provides not only calcium, but also vitamin D and many other nutrients with numerous health benefits. Milk does a body good, doesn't it?

A growing number of consumer advocates and scientists don't think this is necessarily true. They question the long-held wisdom of regular milk consumption, and some of these people even believe milk poses substantial health risks to humans.

What's at the bottom of this backlash? Is there any truth to what the critics are saying, or is it just a storm in a cereal bowl?

The changing face of milk
Some of the controversy surrounding milk lies in the way commercially available cow's milk has changed over the years. In general, milk consists of water, fat, protein, lactose, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. However, the exact composition of milk depends on what cows eat, their cycle of lactation, the number of lactations, and how the milk is processed. Today's commercial milk production techniques can significantly modify the end product, changing it from its natural form to something quite different.

For example, most commercial milk undergoes pasteurization to destroy bacteria and pathogens that may be harmful to health. However, some people claim that raw, unpasteurized milk tastes better and is more nutritious than the pasteurized variety.