Is Milk Good for You? The Latest Research

Learn more about the latest evidence-based research on milk nutrition facts in the videos below.

In the population study “Milk Intake and Risk of Mortality and Fractures in Women and Men,” researchers following more than 100,000 men and women in Sweden for about 20 years found significantly higher rates of bone and hip fractures, heart disease, cancer, and premature death in general for women who drank more milk. Three glasses a day was associated with nearly twice the risk of dying early. Men with higher milk consumption were also recorded having a higher risk of premature death. A meta-analysis of all such cohort studies, however, failed to find a significant relationship between milk and mortality. Findings of a 2015 meta-analysis found that men with high intakes of dairy products did appear to increase total prostate cancer risk.

All animal-based foods contain sex steroid hormones, such as estrogen. These hormones naturally found even in organic cow’s milk may play a role in the various associations identified between dairy products and hormone-related conditions, including acne, diminished male reproductive potential, and premature puberty. The hormone content may explain why women who drink it appear to have five times the rate of twin births compared with women who do not drink milk.

When it comes to cancer, leading experts have expressed concern that the hormones in dairy and other growth factors could potentially stimulate the growth of hormone-sensitive tumors. Experimental evidence also suggests that dairy may also promote the conversion of precancerous lesions or mutated cells into invasive cancers in vitro.

Dairy consumption may also play a role in increased risk of asthma, Parkinson’s disease, and elevated blood pressure, among other health concerns such as recurring canker sores.

For substantiation of any statements of fact from the peer-reviewed medical literature, please see the associated videos below.

Image Credit: Amanda Rae. This image has been modified.

171 videos

All Videos for Milk

Why Do Milk Drinkers Live Shorter Lives on Average?

How might we reduce the risk of premature death from dairy consumption?

Soy Foods for Menopause Hot Flash Symptoms

Soy can be considered a first-line treatment for menopausal hot flash and night sweat symptoms.

Closeup soy bean in sack and white cup of soy milk with green nature background

Soy Milk for Vaginal Menopause Symptoms

Soy foods may explain why Japanese-American women not only have the lowest rates of hot flashes in the United States but also have the lowest rates of vaginal dryness.

Is Soy Milk the Most Nutritious Non-Dairy Milk?

Soy milk is compared to dairy milk and other plant-based milks.

Greens, Green Tea, and Nuts Put to the Test for Telomeres

Not all plant foods are linked to less cellular aging based on telomere attrition, and not all animal foods are linked to more.

Assortment of whole food plant-based foods

Fasting to Detox

How might we help flush the pollutants stored in our fat that come spilling out into our bloodstream during weight loss?

Treating Parkinson’s Disease with Fava Beans (Faba or Broad Beans)

Fava bean sprouts and soy nuts are put to the test for Parkinson’s disease as natural sources of L-dopa.

Do Vegans Have Lower Bone Density and More Fractures?

What are the bone fracture rates of omnivores vs. vegetarians vs. vegans?

flatlay image of assorted cheese and milk

Breast Cancer and the Bovine Leukemia Virus in Meat and Dairy

Exposure to the bovine leukemia virus from meat and dairy (or a blood transfusion from those who eat meat or dairy) is a risk factor for cancer.

milk containers with bovine farm in the background

Bovine Leukemia Virus as a Cause of Breast Cancer

As many as 37 percent of breast cancer cases may be attributable to exposure to bovine leukemia virus.

milk poured from a bottle into a glass cup on a wooden stand

The Role Milk May Play in Triggering Parkinson’s Disease

Is the brain damage associated with milk consumption due to the banned pesticide heptachlor or the milk sugar galactose?

The Benefits of Moringa: Is It the Most Nutritious Food?

Does the so-called miracle tree live up to the hype?

The Food That Can Downregulate the Metastatic Cancer Gene

The Food That Can Downregulate a Metastatic Cancer Gene

Women with breast cancer should include the “liberal culinary use of cruciferous vegetables.”

The Healthiest Natural Source of Iodine

How much nori, dulse, or arame approximate the recommended daily allowance for iodine?

Are Vegans at Risk for Iodine Deficiency?

Most plant-based milks are not fortified with iodine.

Vegetarians and Stroke Risk Factors—Animal Protein?

Might animal protein-induced increases in the cancer-promoting grown hormone IGF-1 help promote brain artery integrity?

What Not to Eat for Stroke Prevention

What is the relationship between stroke risk and dairy, eggs, meat, and soda?

What Are the Best Foods?

A review of reviews on the health effects of animal foods versus plant foods.

What Are the Best Beverages?

A review of reviews on the health effects of tea, coffee, milk, wine, and soda.

The Effects of Hormones in Milk on Infertility in Women

Dairy consumption is associated with years of advanced ovarian aging, thought to be due to the steroid hormones or endocrine-disrupting chemicals in cow milk.

Are Fortified Kids’ Breakfast Cereals Healthy or Just Candy?

The industry’s response to the charge that breakfast cereals are too sugary.

The Effects of Hormones in Dairy Milk on Cancer

What are the effects of the female sex hormones in milk on men, women, and children?

How to Treat Reflux in Children with Diet

Hypersensitivity reactions to dairy products even in those who test negative for cow’s milk allergy.

Kidney Stones and Spinach, Chard, and Beet Greens: Don’t Eat Too Much

Given their oxalate content, how much is too much spinach, chard, beet greens, chaga mushroom powder, almonds, cashews, star fruit, and instant tea?

Treating Reflux in Babies with Diet

Treating the cause of infant reflux with maternal cow’s milk elimination.

The Worst Food for Tooth Decay

One of the worst breakfast cereals will surprise you.

Dairy and Cancer

How do we explain the increased risk of prostate cancer but the decreased risk of colon cancer associated with dairy consumption?

How the Dairy Industry Designs Misleading Studies

How the meat and dairy industries design studies showing their products have neutral or even beneficial effects on cholesterol and inflammation.

Is Cheese Healthy? Compared to What?

Dairy is compared to other foods for cardiovascular (heart attack and stroke) risk.

Is Cheese Really Bad for You?

What about the recent studies that show cheese has neutral or positive health effects?

Benefits of a Macrobiotic Diet for Diabetes

What happens when you add massive amounts of carbs to the daily diet of type 2 diabetics in the form of whole grains?

Best Food for Periodontal Disease and Gingivitis

What would happen if you stopped brushing your teeth but ate healthier?

Does Adding Milk Block the Benefits of Coffee?

How to choose the healthiest coffee, and the effects of adding milk vs. soymilk.

Is Organic Meat Less Carcinogenic?

Researchers tested 76 samples of different kinds of organic and conventional meats for 33 different carcinogens.

Carcinogens in Meat

What are the eight preparation methods to reduce exposure to carcinogens in cooked meat?

Benefits of Blueberries for Blood Pressure May Be Blocked by Yogurt

What happened when researchers tried to tease out what’s in dairy that interferes with the health benefits of berries and tea?

The Effects of Avocados on Inflammation

High-fat plant foods—avocados, peanuts, and walnuts—and olive oil are put to the test.

Oxidized Cholesterol as a Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease

Oxidized cholesterol can be a hundred times more toxic than regular cholesterol, raising additional concerns about foods such as ghee, canned tuna, processed meat, and parmesan cheese.

Should Women with Fibroids Avoid Soy?

When it comes to uterine fibroids, is soy harmful, harmless, or helpful?

Does Cocoa Powder Cause Acne?

Is the link between chocolate and acne due to the sugar, the milk, or the cocoa in chocolate? Researchers put white chocolate, dark chocolate, baking chocolate, and cocoa powder to the test to find out.

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