BY UE STUDIO

Updated Thursday,25May2023-18:08

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It is not a fad, nor the latest cry on TikTok. No, milk has been part of our lives for as long as we can remember (or almost). It is the first food we take as soon as we are born and also the first thing we drank (and drink) every day when we got up sleepy to go to school. It was not lacking in the snacks of grandma's house or on winter nights, when we took it very hot to comfort us before going to sleep ...

Drinking milk is a tradition that is part of our emotional geography, but that is not the main reason why we drink it, but because it is loaded with advantages for our health. This is demonstrated by a multitude of scientific studies in which the hoaxes on which the detractors of milk consumption base their position are dismantled one by one.

The Health Advantages of Drinking Milk

For example, there is no doubt that milk provides us with nutrients such as calcium, essential for the formation, maintenance and prolongation of the life of bones. Especially during our first stage as children and until the age of 30, when our bone structure is in formation. Milk is, therefore, one of the main foods that help us to have calcium reserves for much of our lives.

If we perform the previous phase well, in our adult stage we will have a better bone mass and the proteins of high biological value provided by milk will contribute to slowing down the process of loss of muscle mass that, inevitably, we will suffer as time passes. Moreover, some studies claim that dairy consumption reduces the risk of hypertension, so the recommendation for consumption in older people is between 2 and 4 servings of milk and its derivatives, providing between 60 and 75% of the recommended total calcium and helping to reduce their blood pressure.

In addition to its importance in the different vital phases, milk is a natural food, with a complete nutritional profile, since it contains all groups of nutrients, including proteins of high biological value. In this sense, milk contains a series of molecules called amino acids, of which the so-called essential amino acids must be provided through our diet. "Dairy products, and in particular milk, are interesting foods because of their high nutritional value in small volume, but they are dispensable at any stage of life. Beyond breastfeeding, we do not need to consume dairy products, but that does not mean that we should not, since they are very powerful foods in terms of their content in vitamins, minerals, high quality proteins and antioxidants, "says Andrea Calderón, professor of the Degree in Nutrition and the Degree in Nursing at the European University.

The other fundamental pillar of milk is its contribution of calcium. So much so, that, through it, we can easily obtain the recommended daily amount quickly, in greater quantity than other foods, but with less calorie intake and in a healthier way. In fact, if we drink a glass of skimmed milk (200 ml), we will be providing our body with the same amount of calcium as 100 g of raw almonds and only 68 kcal compared to 472 kcal of the nut. This fact makes milk a perfect food to include in a balanced diet or weight loss diets.

To the nutritional benefits, its attractiveness is added as a drink with high hydration power, its contribution in proteins, minerals and quality vitamins that even helps to recover after exercising. In fact, in the 'Consensus Document: nutritional and metabolic importance of milk' (Nutr Hosp. 2015), it is stated that one of the main advantages of consuming milk after sports practice is that it has a high water content and contributes to maintaining hydration levels after exercise to promote thermoregulation and water balance. Not to mention, drinking milk provides the body with the amounts of amino acids and glucose that muscles require to recover after physical exertion.

Debunking myths about milk consumption

The arguments against that have been imposed for some years have linked the consumption of milk with the appearance of diabetes. However, milk is a food with a low glycemic index and is ruled out as one of the main causes of this disease that affects about 14.8% of the population in Spain. That is, in total 5.1 million adults suffer from it, placing us in second place with the highest rate in Europe, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

Different epidemiological studies have shown that the risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes (the most frequent) is 67% lower in those who consume milk and derivatives, compared to those who consume them less frequently or who do not consume them. Moreover, according to Andrea Calderón, "there is no direct solid relationship between dairy consumption and diabetes, that is, there is no cause-effect relationship between consuming more or less dairy and the risk of diabetes. In any case, studies that investigate whether consuming dairy can be beneficial for type II diabetes, either to prevent it, or in case of already suffering from it, for a better approach, in general, find positive results. " Milk, in this sense, is not the culprit of diabetes, but in many cases it is obesity, or derived from poor eating habits, and physical inactivity.

The second widespread myth is that dairy products are the cause of mucus production and, therefore, that their consumption may be related to respiratory diseases such as asthma. "It's not true, there's no evidence about it. In any case, respiratory problems can be had by people with an allergy to cow's milk protein, but not a tolerant population and without a milk allergy in any case," explains the EU professor.

Finally, and perhaps the most controversial belief has been that of the possible food allergies caused by the consumption of cow's milk. The reality is that the incidence of allergy in children is barely 2-6% of children, while, in adults, that percentage is reduced even more: to 0.1-0.5%. Often, the figures have been overstated in recent years, often based on misperceptions or self-diagnoses without any certainty.

A commitment to sustainability and health

Central Lechera Asturiana brings together the largest cooperative in Spain since 1969 with about 7,000 livestock families involved in a project that keeps alive the livestock, the social fabric and the Asturian natural landscape. Thanks to crops and pastures, its workers (and its cows) maintain the ecosystem, its biodiversity and are generators of a natural protection barrier against fires and abandonment of rural Spain.

This way of life guarantees, on the one hand, wealth and employability (they generate more than 7,300 jobs derived from the activity), which its locals live from childhood and transmit with passion, generation after generation. On the other hand, they have achieved a sustainable work system, insofar as they are able to develop their activity in Protected Natural Areas and Biosphere Reserves, such as Eo, Oscos or Picos de Europa. This natural environment and the care put by all involved results in an optimal food in nutritional qualities and great taste that makes anyone proudly join your #YoBeboLeche campaign.

Made by UE Studio

This text has been developed by UE Studio, creative branded content and content marketing firm of Unidad Editorial, for CENTRAL LECHERA ASTURIANA.

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