Is Milk Healthy For Humans?

Pro (Yes): Milk contains nine essential nutrients, making it one of the most nutrient-rich beverages you can enjoy. Just one 8-ounce serving of milk puts you well on your way to meeting the Daily Value for calcium, riboflavin and other key nutrients. The protein in milk is high quality, which means it contains all of the essential amino acids or 'building blocks' of protein. Protein builds and repairs muscle tissue, and serves as a source of energy during high-powered endurance exercise. An 8-ounce glass of milk provides about 16% of the Daily Value for protein. Vitamin B12 helps build red blood cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to working muscles. Just one 8-ounce glass of milk provides about 13% of the Daily Value for this vitamin.

Milk can be good for you with all the essential nutrients you are giving your body. Your body only needs a certain amount of milk to drink due to other nutrients. Milk is good to drink if you are a body builder, it has protein that can help gain muscle to your body.

Con (No): Milk’s main selling point is calcium, and milk-drinking is touted for building strong bones in children and preventing osteoporosis in older persons. However, clinical research shows that dairy products have little or no benefit for bones. Dairy products—including cheese, ice cream, milk, butter, and yogurt—contribute significant amounts of cholesterol and saturated fat to the diet. Prostate and breast cancers have been linked to consumption of dairy products, presumably related to increases in a compound called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I). Milk proteins, milk sugar, fat, and saturated fat in dairy products pose health risks for children and encourage the development of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Milk and dairy products are not necessary in the diet and can, in fact, be harmful to health.

Citations 

"Milk ProCon.org - Is Drinking Milk Healthy for Humans?" ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.