The National Dairy Council has sponsored a monograph on the
unintended consequences of dairy avoidance. Dairy consumption in the United
States has been declining steadily since the end of World War II, both due to
personal choice and reduced availability and inconvenience. (Fast food meals
most often come as a “package” that includes a carbonated beverage rather than
milk and milk is seldom an option in vending machines.)
Dairy products are good sources of calcium as well as many
other micronutrients. Especially in low-fat options, dairy products have high
nutrient-to-calorie ratios. The protein in dairy products is the richest source
of the branched chain amino acids needed for muscle metabolism and insulin
responsiveness. In weight reduction diets, high intake of branched chain amino
acids help preserve lean muscle mass and encourage weight loss from fat tissue.
Lactose, the sugar found in milk, is broken up in the small
intestine by the enzyme lactase. In all people there is a progressive
physiologic decline in intestinal lactase activity that begins sometime after
weaning and continues into old age. This incomplete loss of enzyme activity is
especially prominent in individuals of East Asian, Hispanic and African
ancestry. Not everyone who has lactose maldigestion has lactose intolerance and
there are easy adaptive steps that one can take to tolerate dairy products.
Lactose-free dairy foods are widely available and lactase enzyme supplements
(Lactaid) can be taken with the first bite or sip of dairy foods. Dairy foods
are best tolerated if taken with other foods (other proteins and fats). If
there has been some distress with eating dairy products in the past, dairy
foods should be slowly introduced and gradually increased as tolerated. In
response to today’s typical diet, the National Medical Association, the voice
of African-American physicians, has urged the inclusion of dairy products in
the adult diet.
When choosing dairy products, do make wise choices: ounce
for ounce, skim milk has more of a nutritional punch than frozen yogurt.
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