There are better ways of getting calcium than taking in dairy. Humans are the only animals that continue to consume dairy after being weened off the breast. Also cow's milk was designed to fatten the calf - it wasn't designed for humans... A quote I agree with says, "Cow's milk contains three main nutrients: sugar or lactose; fat; and cholesterol, which are high in unhealthy calories and contribute to atherosclerosis. These nutrients are great for getting a baby cow to gain some 400 pounds in its first year of life. They are deadly for humans when consumed on a regular basis. There is absolutely no reason for humans, of any age, to drink cow's milk, just like we don't need dog's milk, or rat's milk, or giraffe's milk. "
Here is an article on other means of calcium that are much much healthier than consuming cow's milk.
The National Dairy Association has spent MILLIONS of dollars to spin cow's milk in their favor. This link is to the Washington Post story on how the NDA spent $200 million to make a study spin the claim that dairy helps people lose weight... it doesn't...
Thanks to countless millions of dollars in advertising, almost everybody thinks they need milk. Over the past several decades, cow's milk and its byproducts have come to be seen as an essential part of the diet of most Americans. Milk and milk products such as cheese, yogurt, ice cream, whey, kefir and butter have been effectively promoted by the Unified Marketing Plan 1 with a budget in excess of $165 million a year. But this promotion hasn't just been about advertising. Federal laws mandate that all schools will provide children with milk at each meal or face the loss of federal funds. Those responsible for this man-date have chosen to ignore the fact that up to 90 percent of African-American, 70 percent of Asian, and 15 percent of Caucasian children are unable to digest the sugar (lactose) in milk.
Despite this and other controversies regarding health consequences, dairy consumption has steadily climbed since 1980. Half of all dairy consumption (per capita consumption currently exceeds 584 pounds per year) comes in the form of cheese, a super-concentrated form of health-compromising saturated fat and salt.
Of all the animals on the planet, people are the only creatures who routinely consume the milk products of other species. What has been assumed to be a beneficial practice is, in fact, more than merely questionable. The scientific evidence suggests that the consequences of this practice are devastating.2
It appears likely that no other component in the modern diet causes more pain and suffering, including premature death and disability, than dairy products. There is compelling scientific evidence that our consumption of dairy products is strongly associated with the following conditions:
1. Childhood onset (type one) diabetes 3
2. Constipation 4
3. Otitus Media (ear infections) 5
4. Sinus congestion and Rhinitis 6
5. Skin problems including rashes, dermatitis, eczema, hives and acne 7
6. Asthma 8
7. Digestive disturbance (including irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease) 9
8. Arthritis and joint pain 10
9. Cancer (lymphoma, leukemia) 11
10. Obesity 12
The problems with milk are numerous:
1. Milk proteins – All dairy products, especially low or non-fat dairy products, contain abundant quantities of milk proteins. Milk proteins are the most commonly implicated causal factor in promoting the diseases listed on the previous page. 13
2. Bacterial contamination – Dairy products are among the most common foods recalled by the FDA for contamination with bacteria such as salmonella, staphylococci, listeria, Ecoli 01573, and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. 14 Pasteurization kills most of the bacteria found in milk; however, in doing so, it creates viral fragments that may also be health compromising. 15
3. Biological concentration of toxins – All animal products, including dairy products, biologically concentrate the various poisons, including pesticides and other environmental contaminants. The resulting meat or milk products have highly concentrated levels of these toxins.
4. Hormones – In order to maximize milk production, dairy cows are routinely injected with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH). This hormone dramatically increases milk production but also increases insulin-like growth factor-1 which has been shown to promote the growth of cancer cells. 16
5. Antibiotics – Large quantities of antibiotics are given to dairy cattle and may be contributing to the increasing problems of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.
6. Gut leakage – Dairy proteins appear to be particularly well suited to stimulating inappropriate immunological reactions when they are absorbed through an inflamed intestinal mucosa, a process commonly called "gut leakage." In vulnerable patients a variety of inflammatory processes are aggravated and may be associated with many of the disease processes listed above. 17
Q. Is soy milk safe for children?
I have recently heard disturbing news that Soy products are bad for children. My 10 year old daughter has soy milk daily with her cereal (because she likes the taste) and occasionally other soy products too. Should I give her normal s/s milk instead. Thank you for your help.
Lynn
For older children like your daughter, soy milk has been shown to have positive effects on cholesterol levels in overweight children. Consumption of soy milk may also improve lung function in children and adults who have asthma.
The Baby Center had similiar information:
Question: Is it safe to give my toddler soy milk if she won't drink cows' milk?
Answer: Yes, soy milk is a good alternative for children over a year old who don't like or are allergic to cows' milk. Soy milk comes in different flavors (you can add your own flavors if you like), and it's perfectly safe to give those to your child. Soy is also a good source of protein.
Be sure to buy whole soy milk, not the low- or nonfat versions, because fat is important for brain development in children under 2 years old. Also, make sure the milk is fortified with vitamin A, vitamin D, and calcium.
You may want to make sure your child's diet contains other calcium-rich or calcium-fortified foods because soy milk contains phytates, naturally occurring substances found in whole-grain foods, legumes, and nuts that can decrease the absorption of calcium and other minerals. For example, while the label on a container of fortified soy milk may say that an 8-ounce glass contains 200 to 300 mg of calcium, the phytates can prevent your child from absorbing that full amount. Studies have found that the body absorbs only about 75 percent of the calcium from soy milk. Calcium-rich or fortified foods include broccoli, kale, lime-processed tortillas, yogurt, cheese, and calcium-fortified juices, cereals, waffles, and breakfast bars.
Because soy milk is plant-based, it doesn't have any vitamin B12, a vitamin that you get only from animal foods (including cows' milk). Pouring soy milk over a cereal fortified with vitamin B12 is enough to ensure that your child starts the day with the right amount of nutrients.
Many brands of soy milk highlight the fact that they contain isoflavones. Isoflavones are phytoestrogens, estrogen-like hormones found in plants such as whole grains, potatoes, dried beans, and apples that may lower blood cholesterol levels in adults. The phytoestrogens found in soy milk are safe for children and adults.
A cranky, unhappy toddler may well be responding to physical discomfort. Tummy troubles of one type or another can make anyone feel miserable. Milk is a major part of most children's diets. If a child is intolerant to milk, this can affect how he feels every single day of his life. Nausea, cramps, and pain can squelch the normal joys of discovery and mastery.
But the classic symptoms of milk intolerance are diarrhea, spitting up, or abdominal pain. Many kids with milk intolerance also wheeze, especially when they get a cold. They can also have the dry, sensitive skin of eczema and their noses always seem to be running. Ear infections are also more common than in other kids. Constipation, however, has not been typically associated with milk intolerance -- until now.
The observation that constipation might sometimes be caused by milk intolerance has appeared in the medical literature from time to time, dating back as far as 1954 (Pediatric Clinics of North America, 1954; 4:940-962). But only recently has there been a well-designed study published showing that this is indeed the case. The results of this study, when widely known, can set many children free to enjoy the exuberance of childhood without pain.
Researchers at the University of Palermo in Italy worked with 65 children with chronic constipation. All of these children had been treated with laxatives when dietary measures had failed. Even with the medical treatment, these children were still constipated, having hard, painful stools only every 3 to 15 days. Forty-nine of the their little bottoms had fissures and redness or swelling from the hard plugs of stool.
Each child received either cow's milk or soymilk for 2 weeks, with no one knowing which was which. Next, they had a week during which they could eat and drink anything they wanted to wash out the effects of the first 2 weeks. Then they switched sides for 2 weeks and got the milk that they didn't get the first time. Careful recordings of the bowel habits were made.
When the secret code was broken at the end of the study, they found status quo constipation for each child while he or she was on cow's milk. But while they were taking soymilk (which causes firmer stools in most kids), 68% of these kids were no longer constipated! The redness, swelling, and fissures on their bottoms healed (New England Journal of Medicine, 1998; 339:1100-1104). How wonderful to finally have relief after diet and medicines hadn't worked for so long!
The results were most dramatic in kids who also had frequent runny noses, eczema, or wheezing. Nevertheless, sometimes constipation can be the only symptom of cow's milk intolerance.
This has broad implications. The children in this study were those with severe chronic constipation that was unresponsive to medications. I am convinced that they are only the tip of the iceberg. There must be a much larger group of mildly allergic children whose constipation improves with laxatives. Time may prove that it is better for these children to avoid the offending protein by switching milks rather than being treated with laxatives.
Presumably, swelling of the intestinal lining causes the constipation. Whatever the exact mechanism, the problem is with the protein in cow's milk, not with the fat or lactose (the sugar). Skim milk or lactose-free milk will not help with this one. Switching to soymilk and other soy products might transform the life of your son in only a couple of weeks!
Unfortunately, some children are also soy protein intolerant. As it happens, this is more common in kids who are allergic to cow's milk protein. If you don't get good results within 2 weeks, I suggest also eliminating soy from the diet for 2 weeks as a trial. You might use Alimentum or Nutramigen (protein hydrolysate infant formulas) as the milk for these next 2 weeks because it is much less likely to be allergic to the protein in them. If they work, you can then experiment with other sources of calcium, protein, and fat for the future (perhaps rice milk).
From Wikepedia:
Soy milk is nutritionally close to cow's milk, though most soy milk commercially available today is enriched with added vitamins such as vitamin B12. It naturally has about the same amount of protein as cow milk. Natural soy milk contains little digestable calcium as it is bound to the bean's pulp, which is insoluble in a human. To counter this, many manufacturers enrich their products with calcium carbonate which can dissolve in the acid of the stomach. Notably it has little saturated fat, which many consider to be a benefit. Lower fat varieties, however, contain less protein than cow's milk.
Soy milk is promoted as a healthy alternative to cow's milk for reasons including:
- Contains no antibiotics, hormones, cholesterol, or links to cancer, diabetes, and other diseases
- Diabetes management through its ability to control blood sugar levels. However, diabetics should be aware that most brands of soymilk - even those labelled "plain" or "organic" - are actually sweetened. Look for the word "unsweetened" on the label.
- Source of lecithin and vitamin E
- Lacks casein
- Soy milk is pareve and so may be consumed along with meat by Jews who keep kosher
- Safe for people with lactose intolerance or milk allergy
- Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are good for your heart.
- Contains isoflavones, organic chemicals, that may possibly be beneficial to health.
In 1995 the New England Journal of Medicine (Vol.333, No. 5) published a report from the University of Kentucky entitled "Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Soy Protein Intake on Serum Lipids." It was financed by the PTI division of DuPont,"The Solae Co."[1] St.Louis. This meta-analysis concluded that soy protein is correlated with significant decreases in serum cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL), a.k.a. bad cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations. However, high density lipoprotein (HDL) a.k.a. good cholesterol, did not increase. Soy phytoestrogens (isoflavones:genistein and daidzein) adsorbed onto the soy protein were suggested as the agent reducing serum cholesterol levels. On the basis of this research PTI, in 1998, filed a petition with FDA for a health claim that soy protein may reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.
The FDA granted this health claim for soy: "25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease." One serving of soy milk (1 cup or 240 mL), for instance, contains 6 or 7 grams of soy protein.
In January, 2006 an American Heart Association review (in the journal Circulation) of a decade-long study of soy protein benefits cast doubt on the FDA-allowed "Heart Healthy" claim for soy protein. The panel also found that soy isoflavones do not reduce post menopause "hot flashes" in women, nor do isoflavones help prevent cancers of the breast, uterus, or prostate. Thus soy isoflavones in the form of supplements is not recommended. Among the conclusions the authors state, "In contrast, soy products such as tofu, soy butter, soy nuts, or some soy burgers should be beneficial to cardiovascular and overall health because of their high content of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals and low content of saturated fat. Using these and other soy foods to replace foods high in animal protein that contain saturated fat and cholesterol may confer benefits to cardiovascular health."[2]
The original paper is in the journal Circulation: January 17, 2006[1]
However, the soy industry has also received similar criticism from the dairy industry for reasons including:
- High levels of phytic acid
- Hemagglutinin content. Soybean hemagglutinins are glycoproteins that cause red blood cells to agglutinate or clump together. Hemagglutinins are concentrated in the whey protein fraction of soy milk. Hemagglutinating activity of raw soybeans is readily destroyed by moist heat treatment. This is similar to a substance found in flu viruses, although it is rather unlikely to be harmful unless the soy milk is taken intravenously.
- Processing of soybeans, including genetic modification, which may result in lysinoalanine or nitrosamines
- Trypsin inhibitors content
- Soy phytoestrogens as antithyroid agents
- Aluminum content.[citation needed]
Although in general soy milk is not suitable for babies or infants, there exist baby formulas based on soy protein, i.e. soy milk, that are used primarily in the case of lactose intolerant children, those allergic to cow's milk or parental preference for a vegetarian or vegan diet. Heinz Farley's Soya Infant Formula is suitable for vegans and is approved by the Vegan Society in the UK. These formulas are commonly named "soy milk", but contain extra carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals. However care must be taken that children with "Soy protein intolerance" are not fed soy milk.
See Soy Health
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