What happens to the body if you give up dairy products for a month

The benefits and harms of dairy products are still debated among experienced specialists in nutritional science and medicine. Some believe that without milk of animal origin, the human body will not receive all the vital substances it needs. Others believe that the exclusion of dairy from the diet, on the contrary, will give ease and lead to pleasant changes. Let’s try to understand both points of view.

What is contained in a glass of milk and how often it can be consumed?

To begin with, let’s understand what is contained in a glass of milk. As it turns out, a whole lot of useful substances: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and vitamins A, B1, B2, PP, C and D. Oksana Lishchenko, a cardiologist, candidate of medical sciences, doctor of World Class network, believes that the presence of dairy products is mandatory in the diet of a healthy person, unless he or she is allergic. Still, there is a certain norm of their consumption.

Oksana: For a long time, the food pyramid was used to assess the balance of the diet. According to this rule, it was recommended to get at least three servings of dairy products daily: for example, one glass of milk, or fermented milk products, or yogurt + 45 g of cheese + 100-150 g of cottage cheese. We now consider it important to have at least one meal a day consisting of dairy products.

Pros of avoiding dairy products

Nevertheless, a lot of people in the world practice a complete refusal of natural milk. Colleen Campbell, a professor in the Department of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University and co-author of the popular book “The China Study,” is not indifferent. In it, he and his son Thomas, a physician by profession, talked about the impact of consuming animal products on our bodies. Some readers noted that the researchers have fundamentally changed their view of milk, and not for the better. What do they think will happen if you give it up for at least a month?

Improved overall health

Campbell’s work links the development of many chronic diseases, including diabetes, coronary heart disease, as well as breast, prostate and colon cancer, to the consumption of animal products. Milk is just one of them. By giving it up, you can stabilize your health and reduce the manifestation of ailments.

In addition, milk is a mucus-forming product. Therefore, during colds that affect the mucous membranes, it is better to exclude it from the diet, so as not to aggravate the situation and feel improvement.

Benefits for digestion

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, 65% of the world’s population has a reduced ability to digest the carbohydrate lactose or, in other words, milk sugar. Many inhabitants of the planet at all revealed his intolerance. The protein casein has also been classified as a product not intended for the human body. That is why while drinking milk you may experience heaviness in the stomach, bloating and other unpleasant sensations. However, their manifestation is strictly individual.

Improvement of skin condition

Who at least once faced skin problems, probably heard the advice: “Try to give up dairy”. The fact is that the product of animal origin usually contains hormones progesterone and estrogen. Manufacturers assure that their concentration is low, but still they can affect our hormonal background and cause such problems as acne and other rashes, dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and redness.

People who gave up dairy products for at least a month, note that their skin became more moisturized, and imperfections – less pronounced. However, it is not always milk that causes them.

Mood stabilization

Again, this is about progesterone and estrogen. By the way, the higher the fat content of the product, the greater the concentration of hormones. Their entry into the body from the external environment can affect chemical processes and cause mood swings.

Help in weight loss

Dairy products are used in the preparation of confectionery, baked goods and fast food. Perhaps by giving up dairy, it will be easier to lose weight. After all, you will know for sure that pizza with cheese and chocolate shake you are now definitely not allowed.

Opposing opinion: why can’t you do without milk?

Despite all the above arguments, some scientists stand up in defense of dairy products. Here are the arguments they give.

Lower immunity

Doctors of the British Association of Applied Dietetics and Nutritional Therapy are concerned that adherents of vegetarianism too demonized dairy products and thus harmed the health of compatriots. Dairy consumption has actually declined in the Kingdom over the past 20 years – by 30%.

Contrary to preconceptions, scientists say that probiotic bacteria found in fermented dairy products boost immunity. There is clinical evidence.

Your metabolism will become sluggish

These same bacteria are responsible for active intestinal peristalsis. Therefore, a person who gives up milk runs the risk of slowing down metabolism and becoming overweight. Opinions are strikingly different! And yet British nutritionists advise patients to return to a full diet to maintain health and figure. The only exception is individual intolerance.

There will be frequent fractures

Employees of the National Society for the Study of Osteoporosis believe that by giving up animal milk, people are not getting the necessary useful substances necessary for the body. These include vitamin D, which affects the absorption of calcium. Its deficiency of 73% is fraught with osteoporosis. This is the name of a disease of the skeleton, which is characterized by increased fragility of bones. And it in turn leads to frequent fractures.

The skin will deteriorate

Since we have already mentioned the exact opposite effect of giving up dairy, now let’s pay special attention to a study conducted in Japan. Milk is of particular interest to the Land of the Rising Sun, because the product has never been part of its traditional cuisine. And it appeared on store shelves only half a century ago.

Employees of the Japanese Research Center under the leadership of Dr. Hiromi Kimoto-Nira conducted an experiment and tried to prove the benefits of fermented milk. It was created from the bacterium Lactocus lactis strain H61 – it is used in the production of dairy products all over the world. For the study, scientists invited 23 women aged 19 to 21 years old and divided them into two groups randomly. Participants of the first group had to drink a glass of milk every day for a month, and in the second group this product was replaced by regular yogurt.

At the end of the experiment, scientists assessed the condition of the girls’ skin on the cheeks and the inner side of the forearms. Special attention was paid to tone, elasticity, the degree of dehydration, the level of melanin and sebum. The Japanese found out that the first group of subjects had a much better skin condition. In addition, women who drank milk produced more sebum, which is a natural defense of the skin. This is why scientists believe that giving up milk deprives us of our natural ability to rejuvenate our skin.

Having studied various studies about dairy products, you can be completely confused about their effect on the body. That’s why it’s better to focus on individual characteristics and feelings. And if you still firmly decide to replace animal milk with vegetable milk, it is worth taking care of additional sources of vitamins D and B12, protein and calcium. And, of course, consult a specialist.