Zakarian 1

Kyndal Zakarian

English H101

Ludwig

27 November 2017

Got Lactase?: The Truth Behind the Dairy Industry

Lactose intolerance is a condition that affects billions of people all around the world. The

U.S. National Library of Medicine reports that approximately sixty-five percent of the human

population have a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy. Lactose is a sugar found in the

milk of all mammals, with lactase being the enzyme present in the small intestine thats

responsible for breaking it down. Those who are lactose intolerant lack the ability to fully digest

lactose because they do not produce enough lactase: those who do, however, are lactase

persistent. Due to the bodys need for calcium, misleading advertising, and a pervading

uncertainty regarding its benefits, dairy still remains prevalent in modern society. One should

limit dairy intake in adulthood and look to other means for calcium because the continuation of

its consumption can cause harm to the body.

It is not a mystery to scientists why three-fifths of the population are lactose intolerant.

Lactose intolerance can occur within two different stages of life: infancy and adulthood.

Lactose intolerance in infants is caused by mutations in the LCT gene [which] provides

instructions for making the lactase enzyme whereas lactose intolerance in adulthood is caused

by gradually decreasing activity of the LCT gene after infancy (Library of Medicine). The

human body must alter genetically in order to accommodate lactose digestion after infancy.

Those who are lactase persistent have a genetic mutation that allows them to continue to break

down lactose through adulthood. This occurs because over time, the human body has been forced
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to evolve in order to handle dairy in the system past childhood. Despite it being unnatural to

continue the consumption of milk for the duration of ones life, it is no mystery why humans

have been doing so for centuries. In the video, The Magnificent Milk Myth Brook Miles

discusses the origins of dairy in society by stating, ... when animal domestication came about,

so did dairy (0:33). When food was scarce, nutrient deficiencies were much more prevalent

prompting nutritionists to turn to milk due to its high nutrient density per serving. But, according

to food waste advocate Dana Gunders, this ceases to be a prevailing concern considering, 40

percent of the food in the United States today goes uneaten (4). This ostends the overabundance

of food being produced without its potential nourishments being utilized. To be concise,

mammals produce milk that is most advantageous for their offspring, so the nutrients in milk are

intended for calves and not humans. In fact, humans are the sole species to drink milk from

another animal (Miles). Nutrient deficiencies are increasingly more prevalent in young children

as opposed to adults, which is why humans breastfeed and drink milk during their early years.

Once the weaning phase is complete, dairy consumption is no longer essential. Thus, the rate of

lactose intolerance escalates severely after the age of five. It is imperative to one's health that

they inquire after why the consumption of dairy remains notably common, and even encouraged,

well into adulthood when over half of the population suffers from lactose intolerance. This can

be attributed to the need to satisfy the body's daily requirement of calcium.

Calcium is a mineral present in the body that assists with the performance of daily

functions while maintaining strong bones. Calcium is required for muscles to move, nerves to

transport messages between the brain and body, blood vessels to move blood throughout the

body, and the release of hormones and enzymes. In the article Calcium: Whats Good for Your

Bones and Health? published by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the body is
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said to receive calcium through one of two ways: by eating foods or supplements that contain

calcium or by pulling it from bones. The latter ensues when calcium levels in the blood drop

too low, causing the mineral to be pulled from bones with the intent that it will be replaced later;

this can be avoided by adequate calcium intake. Osteoporosis is a condition that alarmingly

weakens the bones when not enough of this mineral is obtained. As a result, growth can be

stunted which causes one to become much more susceptible to broken bones. This is why

nourishing the body with calcium remains so crucial at all ages. Since milk contains the highest

calcium density it is often seen as the solution, but with its consumption comes other health

concerns.

Those who are not lactose intolerant may just opt to stick with dairy products due to

convenience and taste: instead choosing reduced fat or nonfat options. Choosing dairy

alternatives, even if one is lactase persistence, is important because of other risk factors dairy

poses to ones health. Aside from the prevalence of lactose intolerance, the consumption of dairy

poses other health concerns such as heart disease, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer. The high

saturated fat content in dairy can cause cholesterol levels to rise which, in turn, can cause arteries

to clog. This should raise concerns because according to the Centers of Disease Control and

Prevention, one in four deaths in the United States is caused by heart disease. Another reason one

should not get their main source of calcium from milk is because studies have shown that men

who drink the suggested amount of milk everyday are almost twice as likely to develop advanced

prostate cancer as opposed to those who drink no milk. Galactose is a sugar that is released

during the breakdown of lactose in milk. This has been found to possibly damage the ovaries and

cause ovarian cancer (Harvard). These issues have been proven to have a direct link to dairy

consumption, and cannot be avoided by picking fat-free or low-fat options because evidently the
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dairy still remains in the diet. One may be inclined to stick with dairy due to the believed

benefits that it has on bones, however, dairy specifically is not needed for bone health as a

recent analysis found that the majority of studies designed to examine the relation of dairy

food intake to bone health indicate no effect (Napoli). Therefore, other alternatives to dairy for

calcium intake are acceptable and these nutrients can come from other sources without a negative

impact on the bones. It should also be known to those who may still be considering dairy that the

hormones produced in milk are targeted to the cows offspring and not humans, so drinking milk

is very unnatural and even foreign to our bodies. The association between milk intake and these

life threatening issues is undeniable. So why do billions of humans continue to consume dairy on

a daily basis? The culprit is the dairy industry itself.

The dairy industrys advertising is extremely methodical, with its effectiveness evident

by most Americans immediate association between calcium and milk. It is commonly known that

proper intake of calcium is extremely important for basic daily functions, so many lean on milk

as a means of achieving this. The truth, however, is that calcium is not as rare as the dairy

industry wants its consumers to believe. In fact, it is the fifth most abundant element on the

earths crust (Miles, 3:56) and can be found in more foods than solely dairy. Humans have been

led to believe that their calcium should come from milk due to misleading dietary advice backed

by dairy companies to boost sales. Professional athletes have worn the milk mustache in order

to target younger athletes and inspire them to drink more milk to build strong bones and be like

them. But, in the article False Advertising Complaints Against 'Milk Mustache' and 'Got Milk?'

Ads Validated by Maryann Napoli points out that there are no data to support the belief that

milk per se benefits sports performance. It is evident that good nutrition, including adequate

protein intake and calcium intake are important in sports performance, but milk is not the only
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potential source of an adequate supply of these nutrients for athletes. This study proves that the

consumption of protein and calcium are necessary, but do not need to be specially obtained from

dairy products in order to be effective. But children arent the only demographic targeted by the

dairy industry; older generations arent safe from its misleading advertisements either. Marion

Nestle explores the political side of the food industry in her book Food Politics. Nestle points out

that dairy funds have also paid for advertisements in magazines like the New York Times,

announcing low calcium intake as a major health emergency. They go even further, suggesting

that the best way to acquire calcium is through drinking three glasses of milk per day (Nestle 81).

The United States Department of Agriculture also suggests this amount, but openly admits that

one of their goals is to help dairy producers efficiently market their products (Miles 8:29). This

suggests that companies are exaggerating health issues, by making false claims, in order to boost

sales by making the consumer believe that their health is at risk without dairy products. The true

amount of calcium needed per day varies per person rather a set amount as such advertisements

suggest, therefore, having three glasses a day helps the dairy industrys sales to increase. Dairy is

also so high in saturated fat that guidelines have suggested fat-free or low-fat alternatives. The

only reason is has not been suggested to eat less is because having the government telling one

to eat less of a product could have detrimental effects on the sales and be harmful to a company

(Nestle). The dairy industry is so focused on its own success that marketing strategies are

glorifying its benefits for company well-being while the impact it is having on its customers is

being vastly ignored. It is in the consumers best interest to remove dairy from one's diet and

look for other alternatives in order to achieve sufficient calcium amounts.

The association between milk and calcium has caused other sources of calcium to be

overlooked. The University of California San Francisco Medical Center compares the amount of
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calcium in other foods in their chart Calcium Content of Foods. UCSF shows that milk has 300

mg of calcium per one cup while the same serving size of fortified soy milk has up to 400mg of

calcium and a third of the saturated fat. This means that by choosing soy milk, the same serving

size provides more calcium with less fat. Similarly, a cup of fortified orange juice contains

300mg of calcium and no saturated fat at all, being the best option out of the three drinks.

Keeping all serving sizes at one cup; cooked spinach has 240mg of calcium, figs have 300 mg,

and almonds have 368 mg. Tofu can have up to 750 mg in just half a cup and some fortified

cereals contain as much as 1000mg per cup. There are many alternatives to dairy that can

provide enough calcium without the other risks that dairy poses. If one cannot retrieve the

amount of calcium desired through diet, a supplement is perpetually a suitable alternative. The

options for calcium are not purely limited to dairy products as the industry prefers consumers to

believe.

The overwhelming issue is that most humans are simply not aware of the harmful effects

that dairy can have on the body. With the constant promotion of milk being portrayed as an

essential factor for a healthy kid, the typical caring mother is persuaded to buy dairy products in

an attempt to avoid depriving her child. Proper education regarding the bodys nutritional needs

and what constitutes an optimal diet must start at an earlier age. Implementing criteria that

accurately informs the public about the hazardous nature of dairy to curriculum is vital. We

cannot allow the dairy industrys false advertising to exploit its consumers any longer. It is

unethical for this industry to keep promoting their products when they pose major health risks.

The government should ensure that health classes and lessons in schools provide adequate

nutritional information so children are prepared to make informed decision about ones diet in

the future. Adults must also be educated so that one is able to take responsibility of their health,
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moving forward in life. Our society's lack of knowledge regarding dairy consumption poses a

major threat to the well-being of those who consume it.

Historically, milk has always been an important nutrient for infants as they grow into

children. Dairy past the age of five is not needed to sustain a long and healthy life. It is

improbable that the entire human population will go dairy-free, especially overnight. Instead one

should choose dairy alternatives and get calcium from other sources. The risks associated with

dairy can have possible irreversible effects on one's health throughout life. The dairy industry has

capitalized on the false idea that nutrients must come from milk. Heart disease, cancers, and

other health issues are not worth that yummy slice of pizza. Humans must take control of their

health by going dairy- free as often as possible. There is a reason lactose intolerance is so

prevalent and that is because the human body should not be consuming the milk of another

animal their whole lives. Whether one is lactose intolerant or lactase persistent the benefits of

cancelling out dairy can prove to be must more rewarding than ignoring such a large issue. In

short, adults should significantly alter, if not eliminate, their consumption of dairy. Children

should be diminishing intake as they get older and hopefully end up with a dairy-free diet. In the

long run the overall health and longevity of one's life depends on it. There are too many

alternatives for there to be any excuse to not be dairy-free.

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Works Cited

Gunders, Dana. Wasted: How America Is Losing Up To 40 Percent of Its Food from the Farm to

Fork Landfill. NRDC Issue Paper, August 2012,

https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Calcium: Whats Best for Your Bones and Health?.

The Nutrition Source, The President and Fellows of Harvard College,

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/calcium-full-story/#calcium-from-milk.

Miles, Brooke. The Magnificent Milk Myth Debunked, YouTube, Tedx Talks, 15 December

2001, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGXeX7PPrCI.
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Napoli, Maryann. False Advertising Complaints Against 'Milk Mustache' and 'Got Milk?' Ads

Validated. EBSCO host, HealthFacts. Oct 2001, Vol. 26 Issue 10, p2. 1p,

http://ezproxy.canyons.edu:2169/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=ee6c4ed9-f9c2-44ab-

a342-

ff1563fbc6c1%40sessionmgr4007&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=

5524300&db=hxh.

Nestle, Marion. Food Politics. 10th Anniversary Edition, University of California Press, 2013, p.

79- 81.

University of California San Francisco. Calcium Content of Foods. UCSF Medical Center, The

Regents of The University of California,

https://www.ucsfhealth.org/education/calcium_content_of_selected_foods/.

U.S. National Library of Medicine. Lactose Intolerance. Genetics Home Reference, 14

November 2017, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/lactose-intolerance#sourcesforpage.