In the News - The Dangers of Dairy

Did you know that there is pus in our milk? Yep... do a bit of digging into the dairy industry and how milk makes its way from udder to glass and you might never drink milk or eat cheese again.

Goodbye hot chocolate (already done)... goodbye Four Cheese Pizza (sigh)...

If that weren't enough... there is growing evidence that drinking milk contributes to a host of health issues, including increased risk of Alzheimers, heart disease, cancers (breast and prostate) as well as Type 1 Diabetes.

I'm not a doctor, even though I have a doctorate. So, while I can't argue the evidence, I can understand it... and it is eye-opening!

Dairy & Breast Cancer
The first link is a CTV news article which indicates that just one cup of milk per day is associated with a 50% increased risk of breast cancer. That doesn't mean if you drink one glass of milk, you have a 50% chance of getting breast cancer... it means if a non-dairy drinker has an 8% chance of getting breast cancer, a dairy drinker would have a 50% greater risk - so a 12% risk. Which isn't high but... if there is already a high risk of breast cancer due to family genetics, something worth paying attention to.

This study landed in February 2020 and there were a lot of cautionary follow-up articles from dieticians trying to stave off the freak-out fits. Still... if you dig deeper... you find that there are more issues with dairy than just a 50% increased risk of breast cancer.

If you're interested in more... I suggest watching Forks over Knives on Netflix. It does a very good job of explaining the dangers of dairy. Or, take a look at the website of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and what they have to say about dairy.

The latest issues I've come across, which is quite mind-blowing is this...


Bovine Paratuberculosis as trigger for Auto-Immune Diseases
Recent studies suggest that paratuberculosis cells in dairy milk may trigger Type 1 Diabetes. The link above is another video from Dr. Michael Greger which was scary enough. But... here's another one from NCBI (National Centre for Biotechnology Information) which has a Microorganisms journal article.  The title of the article is quite evocative: Cows get Crohn's Disease and They're Giving us Diabetes. But that's not the end of it... in their conclusion, the authors note (I added bold emphasis):

Sufficient evidence points to the fact that until MAP [Mycobacterium avium ss. paratuberculosis] is eliminated from the food chain, it may continue to be said that cows get Crohn’s disease and they are giving us diabetes, multiple sclerosis, sarcoidosis, Blau syndrome, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, lupus, Parkinson’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Scary, no? By the way... Crohn's Disease in humans can also be linked back to MAP in dairy. It's interesting to note that all of those diseases are auto-immune diseases, where the body starts attacking itself. I have an aunt with Parkinson's disease and two of her adult daughters both have Hashimoto's disease. Did they drink more dairy than my uncle and the two sons? Interesting connection though.

Just in case we're wondering how prevalent MAP is... in 1996, the herd-level prevalence of MAP infection in US dairy herds was 21.6%. By 2007 (11 years later), that number had risen to 91.1%. So 91% of herds in the US were infected with MAP.

But what about Canada? A 2018 journal article tested 362 farms across Canada and found the prevalence of MAP was: 66% in Western Canada, 54% in Ontario, 24% in Québec, and 47% in Atlantic Canada. If you're going to drink dairy or eat cheese... it would appear Québec might be your best bet.

But it's not just in North America, global dairy herds are seeing a huge increase in MAP and this is showing up in dairy products (MAP survives pasteurization) around the world. If that weren't enough... MAP can show up in the meat of diary cattle as well since MAP is shed in feces. And, if you've ever watched what goes on in an abattoir... feces can get everywhere during slaughter. They are also finding MAP in beef cattle as well... not just dairy cattle.

Why don't we hear more of this? Do a google search and there are literally hundreds of articles about MAP in dairy herds and outlining the possible risks to humans. But... remember... the dairy industry is subsidized by the government... and the whole mechanics of going from scientific studies and theories to firm results can take a while.

Maybe less so during this time of pandemic when hundreds of litres of milk are being dumped due to the closure of high-milk consuming industries like restaurants and coffee shops.

Canada's 2019 Food Guide - make water your drink of choice
(not milk...)

Oh... and just in case you're wondering... MAP can live in soil and water for a loonnggg time... so manure lagoons which leach into groundwater and streams and rivers are a problem. As is excess milk that is poured down the drain... or onto the soil.

Long story short... dairy (be it milk or cheese) ain't nature's best food for humans. Plus, it isn't even necessary... we can get enough calcium from plant sources (kale, spinach, water cress, other dark leafy greens, almonds, tofu, beans).

But I get it... milk is a habit. Plus, it's been sold to us by national Food Guidelines for decades... until recently. Note Canada's latest Food Guide at right... water is now the drink of choice. Not milk. Much to the dismay of dairy farmers...

2019 Food Guide of the United States

Compare with the United State' My Plate Food Guide... See... still recommending dairy as the drink of choice... The Harvard School of Public Health as something to say about the US plan... and it ain't pretty...

Milk is a habit... and it's going to take a while for us to get over the hump of changing that habit... Until something happens that makes it untenable to continue in that habit. That point will come.

Oh... and FYI... MAP can spread to sheep, goats and pigs as well as deer and wild rabbits...

MAP... coming soon to an animal protein source near you... dairy, beef, veal, pork, mutton, venison, rabbit... off the table.

Want to ditch the dairy habit? Start with switching to a plant-based milk - soy, oat, almond... so many options. Experiment a bit and find a flavour that you like... start small... but start.