Milk is one of the favorite diets in people's daily life. The benefits of drinking milk have been more and more recognized by the public. Milk is rich in calcium and vitamin D.

But did you know that although milk is good, if you drink it wrongly, it will be useless and even harmful to your health!

For example, the following questions need to be explained clearly to everyone.

Milk can not take medicine

　　Milk is not recommended for taking medicines, but water is best. Milk contains protein and calcium, which may affect the effect of medicines.

Do not take the drug with milk unless it is stated on the drug label that milk does not interfere with the absorption of this drug or that it can be taken with milk.

Milk can not take calcium tablets

　　If calcium tablets and milk are taken at the same time, it may cause a waste of calcium, and the effect is not 1+1=2, and may even result in "positive and negative" results.

　　Because when the calcium intake reaches a certain range, increasing the calcium intake may lead to a decrease in the absorption of calcium in the gastrointestinal tract.

Moreover, after the calcium preparation is mixed with milk, the macromolecular colloid in the milk may be denatured, forming a flocculent precipitate, which will also affect the sensory properties of the milk.

Does milk and coffee affect calcium absorption?

　　Milk is rich in calcium ions, while the caffeine and oxalic acid contained in coffee will affect the absorption of calcium.

According to statistics, people who drink a lot of coffee for a long time have a relatively higher probability of osteoporosis. The occurrence of this situation is also related to the effect of coffee on the absorption of calcium.

　　Therefore, the first thing to do when drinking coffee is to control the amount.

It is okay for adults to drink 2 cups (200 ml each) per day.

Under the premise of controlling the amount, drinking coffee with milk will lose a little calcium, but drinking a few more sips of milk is enough.

Can drinking milk nourish the stomach?

　　Some patients with reflux esophagitis often drink milk, thinking that milk can nourish the stomach.

The reason for the reflux is that there are some acidic substances in the stomach, which often spit acid water. This kind of friend drinking milk may aggravate the discomfort.

Because milk may increase stomach acid, aggravate esophageal reflux phenomenon.

Therefore, friends who suffer from peptic ulcers or gastroesophageal reflux should not drink too much milk.

　　If it is confirmed by the doctor that you can drink a little milk in moderation, you can drink the milk in small amounts and in divided doses, and do not drink cold milk, or it is recommended that milk can be used to knead noodles to make pasta.

Can I drink milk on an empty stomach?

　　Drinking milk at any time of day made no substantial difference.

However, for some friends, drinking milk on an empty stomach is more prone to bloating and diarrhea due to lactose intolerance.

In addition, if you only drink milk on an empty stomach in the morning, the milk will pass through the gastrointestinal tract faster, resulting in a slight decrease in the absorption efficiency.

Generally speaking, when you drink milk on an empty stomach in the morning, you should match some staple foods and vegetables with the same meal, or drink milk between meals.

How much milk can I drink per day?

　　Some friends hear that milk is good for nutrition, so they drink milk as water.

In fact, drinking milk is also beneficial in moderation, not too much.

Especially if you eat a lot of whole milk, you will also eat too much saturated fat.

　　The Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommends that adults drink dairy products equivalent to 300 grams of milk per day.

There are very few milk packages of exactly 300ml on the market, so here is a suggestion: For the average adult, you can also drink a pack of 250ml of milk, plus a small jar of 100ml of yogurt.

　　For people who have abdominal distension and diarrhea after drinking a bag of milk (250 ml), it is recommended to use the principle of small meals and drink 250 ml of milk in 2 times.

　　Text/Yu Kang (Professor, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Peking Union Medical College Hospital)