I heard Dr Dean Edell mention this on his little blurbs some stations run. Those of you who know my medical situation and opinions will especially get the significance of this.
Swedish study concludes consuming milk fat REDUCES the risk of heart attack and stroke.
However, I also feel a need to point out that correlation does not prove causation. People who drink milk are probably higher income people who have access to better food, medical care, and less likely to engage in self-destructive behaviors.
I love milk. I crave it. But the magi at the doctor’s office say the only milk for me is Milk of Magnesia. When you gotta go …
Well, next time you’re there, take along the study and ask his/her opinion.
I’ve never accepted the idea that animal fats in the diet have any connection with cholesterol levels, except at starvation levels (German concentration camp victims on autopsy had “clean” arteries as the body scrounges any possible energy). Cholesterol in the blood is a necessary nutrient. It is created by the body itself (mostly the liver) – it isn’t directly absorbed into the blood stream from the digestive tract.
Cholesterol is animal fat – including milk. Vegetarians still have cholesterol in their blood. This seems so obvious to me, but I’m kind of eccentric.
Of course, if you’re lactose intolerent, that’s a seperate issue.
A related story is they’re now realizing calcium supplements (calcium carbonate) increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, which is also not hard to figure out. The “plaque” in your heart’s arteries is calcification
There is also a lingering issue – I’m not that much of a chemistry / biology geek, but Coca-Cola (but not Pepsi) contains Phosphoric Acid. I remember hearing a long time ago that phosphoric acid really messes up calcium absorption and might be causative of some other disease processes. One thing I’ve done in the last year is to cut way back on Coca Cola.
I’m going out and buy a large bag of greasy chips … and beer. Don’t forget the beer.
You can’t take it with you.