PRODUCTION OF MILK
We all consume milk more or less and we have heard it has several health benefits. But do you know exactly what they are? Today we will discuss the Health Benefits of Milk.
Milk is a liquid food which is produced by mammary glands of female mammals. It is rich with nutrients and is the primary source of nutrition for newborn mammals. Not only for animals, human infants must be breastfeed before they are able to consume and digest solid food items. As a human, to fulfill our requirements we consume several types of milk from different animals. Cow, sheep and goat's milk are most commonly consumed by humans. Cow's milk is more famous in western countries.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF MILK
There are several health benefits of milk and dairy products. From my study, some of them are given below-
1. BEST QUALITY PROTEIN SOURCE
For proper body functions, the nine essential amino acids are needed. They are histidine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine, leucine, threonine, tryptophan, phenylalanine and valine. It cannot be produced by the body. We can get them by consuming foods.
Milk is such a food item where all the essential amino acids are available. That's why it is meant to be a 'complete protein'. Protein is essential for growth and development of the body, better immune system, tissue repair, bone health etc. As Milk is rich in protein, it can fulfill all the essential protein requirements of the body. 8 grams of protein can be collected from just one cup of Milk.
Casein and whey protein are found in milk. In Cow's milk, casein is most commonly found. This protein can cover upto 70 percent of the body's total protein requirements. That is why cow's milk is more famous in western countries.
Consumption of milk can increase muscle repair. Milk is given as a diet to the athletes, so their body muscles can repair faster. After working out, body muscles can be damaged. Consumption of milk daily can decrease the damage and increase the strength.
2. NUTRIENTS
Milk is packed with several nutrients. And we should not forget that a new born baby animal only depends on this milk to live. Milk contains vitamins, minerals, protein, and antioxidants. It is a good source of vitamin D, B12, and potassium. phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, calcium, Fat and proteins. Milk also has CLA and Omega-3s fatty acids which can reduce risk of diabetes and heart disease.
The nutrients vary on different animals. For example organic and grass-fed animal milk contains higher amounts of healthy antioxidants, such as vitamin E and beta-carotene, which help reduce inflammation and fight oxidative stress. Where a tiger's milk is rich in protein which is hard to digest, only aggressive animals like tigers can consume it.
In one cup of cow's milk contains 8 grams of fat, 28%of RDA of Calcium, 24% of RDA of Vitamin D,18%of RDA of Vitamin B12, 26% of the RDA of Riboflavin, Potassium: 10% of the RDA of potassium, 22% of the RDA of phosphorus, 13% of the RDA of selenium, 146 calories and 8 grams of protein.
RDA stands for RECOMMENDED DIETARY ALLOWANCE.
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of calcium means women ages 18 to 50, and men ages 18 to 70 need 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium.
3. STRONG BONES AND TEETH
To maintain strong and healthy bones and teeth, some essential nutrients are required which are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, protein, magnesium and vitamin K2.
Milk has all the essential nutrients in it. Calcium along with magnesium, phosphorus and Vitamin D is absorbed by the bones and the teeth. These make the bone stronger and healthier and helps to prevent disease like osteoporosis (a debilitating, brittle bone disorder), osteomalacia and other bone and teeth problems in older ages. It also helps to reduce the chances of fracture in bones.
More than 98 percent of Calcium is absorbed by the bone and teeth. Still we face several bone and teeth problems in our lifetime due to lack of Calcium and phosphorus.
Women face the most bone problems. After thirty bone loss starts in the woman's body and they stand totally unaware about it until any problems in bone comes in the front.
Phosphorus and calcium protect the teeth from various teeth problems such as Tooth Decay, Oral Cancer, Tooth Sensitivity, Tooth Erosion etc. Casein in milk creates a protective layer on teeth which protects the teeth from acidic products while eating any. This layer is made with hydroxyapatite crystallites which are substituted with carbonate.
4. HELPS IN WEIGHT LOSS OR PREVENT OBESITY
Some people think that the fats present in milk can increase body fat and increase the chances of obesity. But the truth is completely opposite. A study on adults and children have shown that eating more high-fat dairy products or milk can decrease weight and lower the risk of obesity.
Milk has several components which help to lose weight. Calcium in milk helps to prevent obesity. Calcium breaks the body fat and prevents the body from absorbing more fat than usual.
Conjugated linoleic acid in milk also helps to burn fat and prevent the production of fat.
Protein in milk makes your stomach feel full for a longer time which can help in preventing the habit of overeating.
5. REDUCE TYPE 2 DIABETES
Type 2 diabetes became a common problem in adults and children. From study it has proven that drinking low fat dairy products daily can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. In 2005, an examination was done on women and men after daily consumption of low dairy products. The result showed some interesting facts that for women and men in both, Milk helps to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Magnesium and calcium and other nutrients in milk helps in this process.
6. PROTECT FROM CANCER
Though cancer has no particular medicine in the world. But It is believed that milk has some nutrients which can reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer. CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and calcium present in milk are believed to be the main components which help to reduce the risk of cancer.
7. REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE AND RISK OF HEART ATTACK
Consumption of milk on a daily basis can reduce blood pressure and decrease the risk of heart attack. From a study, it has come up that consumption of Calcium which is an important component of milk can reduce blood pressure and filter the unhealthy cholesterol in the blood, and helps in increasing the good cholesterol in the blood. Potassium, magnesium and milk protein also help in reducing cardiovascular disease.
There are some other benefits of milk. They are-
Milk helps to build a strong immune system. Turmeric in milk can boost your immune system and help you fight against amy viral infections.
Milk also helps to glow the Skin by hydrating the skin and keep the skin cells healthy.
Vitamin D is found in Milk which controls serotonin production in the body. It is a hormone which is responsible mood changing, appetite and sleep. Consuming Milk can maintain the production of serotonin and relief you from depression.
IMPORTANT FACTS
If you get hydrated, consuming milk can rehydrate your body and at the same time the milk nutrients are also collected by the body which can heal your body in many ways.
Though milk is an excellent source of nutrients which has several health benefits as we discussed already, still some people don't want to consume milk, not only they don't want it but also their body is unable to digest lactose which is a sugar found in milk. A study says that more than 60 percent of the world population cannot tolerate lactose.
There are some non dairy products available in the market which have less fat and protein but they are lactose free and can be consumed by anybody. The non dairy products are cashew nut milk, soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk(mild flavour and creamy taste), Almond milk etc.
Yogurt has the same compounds of milk but it is lactose free.
The taste of milk is not that bad. But for some it is worse. They can have it by mixing some other products into milk. Some of them are oatmeal and milk, adding milk in coffee, smoothies, milkshakes etc.
The average American consumes 70 litres of milk in a year.
On average, a cow produces more than 23 litres of milk each day.
Milk is white because of its fat content which floats in the milk and from every reflection from every light wavelength, making it look white.
To stay healthy in your lifetime Milk is an excellent choice to keep it in your diet.E-mail-supammaity123@gmail.Com
SUPAM MAITY.
