Many Americans, including some vegetarians, still consume large amounts of dairy products. Here
are eight great reasons to eliminate dairy products
from your diet.


1. Osteoporosis
Milk is touted for preventing osteoporosis, yet clinical
research shows otherwise. The Harvard Nurses’ Health
Study,1 which followed more than 75,000 women for 12 years,
showed no protective effect of increased milk consumption on
fracture risk. In fact, increased intake of calcium from dairy
products was associated with a higher fracture risk. An Australian
study2 showed the same results. Additionally, other studies3,4
have also found no protective effect of dairy calcium on bone.
You can decrease your risk of osteoporosis by reducing sodium
and animal protein intake in the diet,5-7 increasing intake of fruits
and vegetables,8 exercising,9 and ensuring adequate calcium
intake from plant foods such as leafy green vegetables and beans,
as well as calcium-fortified products such as breakfast cereals
and juices.


2. Cardiovascular Disease
Dairy products—including cheese, ice cream, milk, butter,
and yogurt—contribute significant amounts of
cholesterol and fat to the diet.10 Diets high in fat and saturated
fat can increase the risk of several chronic diseases including
cardiovascular disease. A low-fat vegetarian diet that eliminates
dairy products, in combination with exercise, smoking
cessation, and stress management, can not only prevent heart
disease, but may also reverse it.11 Non-fat dairy products are
available, however, they pose other health risks as noted
below.


3. Cancer
Several cancers, such as ovarian cancer, have been linked to the
consumption of dairy products. The milk sugar lactose is
broken down in the body into another sugar, galactose. In turn,
galactose is broken down further by enzymes. According to a
study by Daniel Cramer, M.D., and his colleagues at Harvard,12
when dairy product consumption exceeds the enzymes’ capacity
to break down galactose, it can build up in the blood and may
affect a woman’s ovaries. Some women have particularly low
levels of these enzymes, and when they consume dairy products
on a regular basis, their risk of ovarian cancer can be triple that
of other women.
Breast and prostate cancers have also been linked to
consumption of dairy products, presumably related, at least in
part, to increases in a compound called insulin-like growth factor
(IGF-I).13-15 IGF-I is found in cow’s milk and has been shown
to occur in increased levels in the blood by individuals consuming
dairy products on a regular basis.16 Other nutrients that increase
IGF-I are also found in cow’s milk. A recent study showed that
men who had the highest levels of IGF-I had more than four
times the risk of prostate cancer compared with those who had
the lowest levels.14


4. Diabetes
Insulin-dependent diabetes (Type I or childhood-onset) is
linked to consumption of dairy products. Epidemiological
studies of various countries show a strong correlation between
the use of dairy products and the incidence of insulin dependent
diabetes.17,18 Researchers in 199218 found that a
specific dairy protein sparks an auto-immune reaction, which
is believed to be what destroys the insulin-producing cells of
the pancreas.


5. Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance is common among many populations,
affecting approximately 95 percent of Asian Americans,
74 percent of Native Americans, 70 percent of African
Americans, 53 percent of Mexican Americans, and 15 percent
of Caucasians.19 Symptoms, which include gastrointestinal
distress, diarrhea, and flatulence, occur because these
individuals do not have the enzymes that digest the milk sugar
lactose. Additionally, along with unwanted symptoms, milk drinkers
are also putting themselves at risk for development
of other chronic diseases and ailments.


Thank you to the

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

51000Wisconsin Ave, NW, Suite 400, Washington DC 20016