Not Milk?
I often wondered about the milk promotes weight loss claims when I was working for the "got milk?" people; I never did understand how drinking milk can help you lose weight.
"Though dairy is high in saturated fat, the dairy industry claims that low-fat dairy products can encourage weight loss. During the last few years it has spent millions on a controversial 'got milk?' advertising campaign, using milk-mustachioed figures such as television's Dr. Phil McGraw. In response, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed false-labeling petitions last June... They maintain that the 'got milk?' weight-loss ads are 'dishonest,' because scientific evidence contradicts the claims. The dairy industry based its assertion largely on the work of University of Tennessee researcher Michael Zemel, who received funding from the Dairy Council and who also has patented a weight-loss program using calcium."
Very interesting. The article seems to suggest that we should get calcium from other sources, and that we should focus on things like exercise and Vitamin D in the quest to prevent osteoporosis. Does this mean I'm supposed to give up my daily latte? Because that ain't happening, my friends.
"Though dairy is high in saturated fat, the dairy industry claims that low-fat dairy products can encourage weight loss. During the last few years it has spent millions on a controversial 'got milk?' advertising campaign, using milk-mustachioed figures such as television's Dr. Phil McGraw. In response, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed false-labeling petitions last June... They maintain that the 'got milk?' weight-loss ads are 'dishonest,' because scientific evidence contradicts the claims. The dairy industry based its assertion largely on the work of University of Tennessee researcher Michael Zemel, who received funding from the Dairy Council and who also has patented a weight-loss program using calcium."
Very interesting. The article seems to suggest that we should get calcium from other sources, and that we should focus on things like exercise and Vitamin D in the quest to prevent osteoporosis. Does this mean I'm supposed to give up my daily latte? Because that ain't happening, my friends.
posted by mo pie at 1:32 AM
5 Comments:
Does this mean I'm supposed to give up my daily latte?
Just because it doesn't help you lose weight is no reason to give up milk if you like it.
My sister, the doctor, says calcium is not absorbed well in the absence of fat. You have to drink half again as much skim milk to absorb the same amount of calcium as you would if drinking fatted milk. She recommends drinking 1% milk.
It's worth noting that the PCRM is a political activist group that promotes reducing the intake of animal foods. I've seen some of the reasearch on dairy and weight loss and I don't think they're strong enough to conclude either way.
Certainly non-fat dairy products are plenty filling and a great place to get protein if you don't eat much meat. But I find it hard to believe they're some magical weight loss panacea.
I've been drinking a lot of that skim supreme milk in the last couple years. Let's face it, milk is a pretty handy way to get protein, calcium AND vitamin D. When my weight was at its lowest I drank it 2-3 times a day to make sure I wasn't ripping up my bones. I've put on 10+ since then but it wasn't the milk - it was probably my discovery of local micro brews that did it..
Dairy causing weightloss is bull. Here's my synopsis of an article that rips that claim apart: http://chicanaontheedge.blogspot.com/2005
/11/eating-dairy-doesnt-facilitate.html.
I'm a graduate student at the University of Tennessee and Dr. Zemel's studies are pretty much a joke around here. They were small, poorly controlled dietary studies. He is always consulting for the dairy industry. I heard that another graduate student analyzed the results of one study, found dairy had no effect, and he miraculously reanalyzed the data and found positive results. Could there be something to his findings? Maybe, but he is milking it for all the money he can get, so buyers should beware.
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