“the hormones being used in the dairy industry have the potential to seriously harm the human body”
Do you want your body full of hormones and unnatural substances? If not, you may want to put down that glass of milk or yogurt you’re having. The milk from other animals that you consume have lasting and somewhat dangerous effects on your health. These products include hormones which are injected into the cows and can cause cancers. From chocolate milk to squeezable yogurts, many children into adulthood spend their lives thinking that they should drink milk and other dairy products to stay healthy. They don’t know the full story of what they are actually putting into their bodies.
An alarming concern with the consumption of cow milk is the hormones used to treat those cows. An example of a hormone used is rBGH which is a growth hormone that stands for “recombinant growth hormone”. It is produced naturally but is made in a larger abundance to inject in the cows so they have even more of it in their bodies. According to Cara Natterson, the hormones being used in the dairy industry have the potential to seriously harm the human body. Natterson also says that when the cows get bacterial infections they are given a large amount of antibiotics which have caused allergies in humans.
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Another concerning health issue related to drinking animal milk is breast cancer. “A study done by Kaiser Permanente researchers suggests that women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer who eat full-fat dairy products after diagnosis are more likely to die from breast cancer than women who eat low-fat dairy products after diagnosis (Study Suggests Full-Fat Dairy…). This concludes that dairy, especially high in fat such as whole milk and butter, have a direct link to breast cancer. This is said to be because of the high amounts of estrogen and progesterone the cows produce when nursing their calves.
An additional type of cancer associated with milk consumption is prostate cancer. According to Qin Li-Qiang, six out of eleven studies “found a positive relationship between milk consumption and prostate cancer risk”. About half of the studies done showed a positive relationship. This shows that it is not just a hoax and that men should be careful in watching what they put into their bodies. Similar to breast cancer, prostate cancer being positively related to dairy consumption is not fully conclusive, but there is research that connects the two to show people how animal milk can be dangerous.
A main problem related to animal milk is lactose intolerance. The medical definition of lactose intolerance is; the inability to digest and absorb lactose (the sugar in milk) that results in gastrointestinal symptoms when milk or food products containing milk are consumed. This digestive disorder can appear in a person as early as five years old and last until death. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine “Approximately 65 percent of the human population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy. Lactose intolerance in adulthood is most prevalent in people of East Asian descent, affecting more than 90 percent of adults in some of these communities”. This significant amount of people experience symptoms such as diarrhea, flatulence, nausea, bloating, and pain in the abdomen. The only real way to treat lactose intolerance is to stop consuming dairy. Some nutrient levels may not be met with eliminating dairy abruptly, but there are many other ways to replenish nutrients.
Many people are familiar with the “Got milk?” advertisements which show various celebrities drinking milk with the recognized milk mustache. The company tries to convince the consumer, especially targeting children and young adults, to drink milk. Some celebrities include Taylor Swift, Superman, and Michael Phelps. This convinces consumers to think dairy milk can help to maybe become a famous singer, super strong, or an olympic gold medalist. Many consumers see these ads and are urged to drink more milk without knowing the real risks that can follow.
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Another example is with Yoplait’s pink ribbon breast cancer yogurt lids. Donna Pinto states “[i]n 2013, Yoplait held a campaign called ‘Save Lids to Save Lives.’ They donated 10 cents per lid with a special code which consumers could redeem. Yet hormone-laden dairy, sugar, and artificial chemicals have all been linked to cancer”. This led to controversy when people started becoming more aware of the risks that animal milk possesses. It was contradicting that a company was supporting a product, yogurt with cow milk, which has been studied and scientifically linked to breast cancer.
All in all, animal milk has been found to negatively affect human health. Even with numerous alternatives to milk and to known health risks, many people continue to drink milk and eat other animal dairy products. Dairy companies continue to push these cow dairy products onto consumers through advertisements and ultimately false news that milk is healthy for them. Even if animal milk alternatives such as soy and almond milk do not taste the same as animal milk, are you willing to take that risk?
Moravian Health 