Milk is a white liquid rich in various nutrients which is obtained from the mammary glands of mammals. In Thailand, the milk that is commonly consumed is cow’s milk and goat’s milk. The benefits of each type of milk are that it may help strengthen bones, build immunity, increase energy and may help control weight.
What is milk?
Milk is a white liquid that is usually produced by the mammary glands of mammals to feed their babies or young. Milk is rich in nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins.
In Thailand, there are two types of animal milk that are popularly consumed: cow’s milk and goat’s milk . Cow’s milk contains slightly less fat and energy than goat’s milk, while goat’s milk contains more protein, minerals, and vitamins than cow’s milk.
In addition, Thai people also like to drink a beverage called “milk” but it does not come from mammals, such as soy milk. Soy milk is a beverage made by grinding soybeans and boiling them, then filtering to get only the milk part.
Other plant-based milks available on the market include almond milk, coconut milk, and corn milk.
What are the benefits of milk?
Different types of milk are rich in nutrients that are beneficial to health, with scientific research supporting the health-promoting properties of each type of milk, as follows:
May help strengthen bones
Cow and goat milk are rich in nutrients that are beneficial to bones, such as calcium , which has the ability to increase bone density, reduce bone mass loss, ทางเข้า https://ufabet999.app and help strengthen bones.
A 2021 study on the benefits of cow’s milk for human bone health, published in the journal Nutrients, found that women are twice as likely to develop osteoporosis as men, and that drinking milk can increase bone mass and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
Meanwhile, another study on the effectiveness of goat milk in preventing osteoporosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis was published in the journal Voprosy Pitaniia in 2014. The researchers conducted an experiment by dividing 42 volunteers with rheumatoid arthritis into 2 groups. The first group received only osteoporosis prevention therapy, while the other group drank 400 grams of goat milk from the brand Amalthea daily along with osteoporosis prevention therapy for 6 months.
When the trial ended, researchers found that the group that received the osteoporosis treatment and goat milk had better bone health, so it can be concluded that drinking goat milk may help prevent osteoporosis.
May help control weight
Goat milk contains linoleic acid, which has the property of reducing body fat and maintaining body mass not to be too high. Therefore, consuming goat milk may help control weight not to be too high.
A study on goat milk consumption to prevent obesity in mice was published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences in 2021. Researchers fed goat milk to mice fed a high-fat diet and found that their weight and body fat mass decreased. Therefore, it can be concluded that goat milk consumption may help reduce fat mass and body weight, as well as prevent fat accumulation in the liver.
However, this is still an animal experiment. Further human research is needed to confirm the effectiveness of goat milk in weight control.
May help lower blood pressure
Consuming soy milk may help lower blood pressure because isoflavones in soy milk have the property of stimulating the production of nitric oxide in the body, which helps dilate blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.
A study in 2013 published in the Journal of Renal Nutrition found that soy milk can help lower blood pressure in diabetic patients with kidney disease. The study gave 29 diabetic patients a diet consisting of soy milk and cow’s milk for four weeks and compared the effects of the two types of milk on the body. The results showed that soy milk consumption significantly reduced blood pressure in diabetic patients compared to cow’s milk consumption.
Therefore, it can be concluded that drinking soy milk may help reduce blood pressure.
Precautions for consuming each type of milk
Each type of milk has precautions for consumption as follows:
Cow’s milk
- Cow’s milk contains lactose, so it is not suitable for people who are lactose intolerant, as it may cause stomach bloating, flatulence, nausea, or diarrhea.
- Drinking cow’s milk can cause your child to develop allergic reactions such as rashes, swelling, difficulty breathing, nausea, or vomiting. The cause of a cow’s milk allergy is the proteins alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, and casein in cow’s milk.
Goat milk
- Goat milk contains lactose, just like cow’s milk, so it is not suitable for those who are lactose intolerant.
- Drinking raw goat milk can cause illness due to the presence of Campylobacter Jejuni or Escherichia Coli bacteria in goat milk. Therefore, if you want to drink goat milk, choose pasteurized goat milk.
Soy milk
- Soy milk may cause an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to peanuts or other tree nuts.
- Soy milk on the market is usually a sugar-added formula. Therefore, you should drink it in moderation or choose a formula without sugar for maximum health benefits.