Carbs: A Brief History

Some hundreds of millions of years ago, plants developed the ability to take energy from the sun (along with carbon dioxide and water) and make carbohydrates. The process, called photosynthesis, allowed plants to store energy in the form of carbohydrates.

This evolutionary step completely transformed the planet because it allowed the flourishing of organisms that lacked the ability for photosynthesis, since they were now able to obtain energy by eating carbohydrates in plants.

The human body, which does not have the ability to make food from the sun, also happens to use carbohydrates as its main energy source. For example, our brain and red blood cells depend specifically on glucose (a carbohydrate) for normal functioning and energy.

Carbs also serve as an important energy reserve in the form of glycogen in our muscles and liver, allowing us to maintain steady energy levels and also to have energy for sudden strenuous activities (such as sprinting). Thus, carbohydrates enable the body to adapt to a diverse range of situations.

How, then, did we come to vilify carbs? Most plant foods are naturally high in carbohydrates, so if we shun carbs, we’re shunning some of the healthiest foods that exist. We’re also shunning our bodies’ main source of energy. So how did this all come about?

Throwing the Baby Out with the Bath Water

There’s a world of difference between eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and eating doughnuts, candy, and other processed foods.

In this vein, there’s a kernel of truth in the low-carb message: Refined sugars, white bread, and other processed foods high in carbs are unhealthy. Indeed, they are. But it’s not because they are high in carbs; it’s because they are processed foods that have had all of their nutrients stripped out.

However, fruits and other plant foods that are naturally high in carbs (such as vegetables, whole grains, and legumes) contain fiber, phytonutrients, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins that are critical for good health—from protecting our eyesight by helping prevent macular degeneration to helping fight infections and cancer. Yet in the minds of many, these immensely healthy foods have been grouped with white bread and table sugar.

By telling people to avoid or significantly limit carbs in general, the low-carb movement has erased the crucial distinction between unprocessed and processed foods—creating an entirely new paradigm that goes against everything we know about nutrition and health.

Long-Term vs. Short-Term

If you eliminate carbohydrates from your diet and put your body into a state of ketosis, whereby it’s forced to burn fat to make ketones for energy, it can lead to short-term weight loss. But keeping your body in a state of ketosis is neither sustainable nor healthful, and it does not fulfill the long-term promise of effective weight loss. Indeed, observational population studies show that high-protein, high-fat diets are associated not only with more health problems but also obesity.

When looking at long-term and sustained weight loss without mandated exercise or calorie restriction, the most effective eating pattern has been shown to be a whole-food, plant-based diet (low in fat and high in unprocessed carbohydrates).

The Rise of Atkins

The low-carb idea first became well known in 1972 after Dr. Robert Atkins began publishing his Diet Revolution books, which sold more than 15 million copies and established the Atkins brand and marketing empire.

Atkins is considered the “father” of the low-carb movement. He pushed the remarkable idea that if people ate fat and protein and eliminated (or significantly minimized) carbs, they would be more slender and healthy. Calories were deemed unimportant, allowing people to embrace some of the unhealthiest foods while still following a “diet.”

It’s not hard to see the appeal of this movement, which persists to this day. Gluttony is permitted and encouraged, and people think they are sticking to a diet while loading up on fried chicken, butter, bacon, eggs, steak, and cheese.

The chair of Harvard’s Department of Nutrition said that the Atkins diet was “nonsense” and “dangerous.” The prestigious Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics called the diet “unbalanced, unsound, and unsafe.” But no amount of criticism stopped the diet’s popularity and the newfound fear of carbs it perpetuated.

The Zone and Other Atkins Spin-Offs

Seeing how Atkins hit the financial jackpot, it didn’t take long for a slew of other “low-carb” spin-offs to follow suit.

In the 1990s, we saw the rise of the Zone Diet, which claimed to achieve both weight loss and “hormonal balance” with a so-called “40-30-30” approach, whereby you obtain a relatively low 40 percent of calories from carbs (so still low-carb), 30 percent from protein, and 30 percent from fat. The Protein Power diet was a high-protein/low-carb approach, with significant vitamin and mineral supplementation (perhaps to compensate for the deficiencies of avoiding high-carb fruits and vegetables).

The blood type diet was an even more unusual idea, where people with different blood types would follow dramatically different diets (which is akin to someone recommending different diets based on different eye or hair colors—sounds curious enough, but has no real science behind it). Interestingly, it recommended a meat-free diet for those with blood type A but a meat-heavy low-carb diet for those with blood type O, which is the most common blood type in the U.S.

The 2000s produced even more low-carb variations. The South Beach Diet emphasized “leaner” meats, but still limited carbs to no more than 28 percent of daily calories. The Paleo diet, popularized by an exercise physiologist, is another “high-protein/high-fat/low-carb” diet, but with an emphasis on avoiding processed foods and dairy. It’s based on very subjective assumptions about hunter-gatherer life in Paleolithic times, with provocative and sweeping claims that animal foods comprised up to 75 percent of the human diet (despite evidence to the contrary), and that these questionable estimates should dictate what we eat today (despite being at odds with mainstream medicine).

These diets and their promoters have enjoyed immense commercial success. The author of The South Beach Diet, for example, has sold more than 17 million books and generated large revenues from online services and major licensing deals. The founder of the Paleo diet gained a huge share of the weight-loss market, with cookbooks, Paleo-themed magazines, “Paleo-approved” protein bars, and other products.

These low-carb entrepreneurs tapped into something very powerful: people’s desperation to lose weight. But they have done so by introducing serious confusion about basic nutrition, to the detriment of people’s health.

The Real Skinny on Weight Loss

In short, low-carb/high-fat diets are not good strategies for sustainable or healthy weight management.

One reason is that it’s metabolically a lot easier for our bodies to use carbs for energy, and to store fat as fat. Certainly, if you’re eating too many calories in general, then carbs can and do get metabolized into fat. But it costs our bodies a large percentage of calories to do so: About 28 percent of energy content of carbs is needed to convert them into fat.

In addition, it’s much harder to overeat whole plant foods that are naturally high in carbohydrates (such as fruits and vegetables) because they are typically less calorically dense than high-fat foods and come packaged with lots of fiber, which provides satiety (i.e., you feel full before you eat too much). By contrast, high-fat/low-carb foods can easily trick our brains into overeating because they are more calorically dense and lack fiber.

A Lesson from History?

Low-carb advocates sometimes claim that we’ve tried limiting fat before and it didn’t work—that it actually made Americans fatter. Specifically, they point to a U.S. Senate report published in 1977 that recommended increasing plant foods while cutting back on high-fat meat and dairy.

But the basis for this argument is simply not true.

First of all, the 1977 recommendations specified that no more than 30 percent of calories should come from fat—which is not “low-fat” by any measure. Second, even that modest recommendation was not followed by most Americans; instead, fat and calorie consumption continued to increase.

A Better Lesson From History

It’s no big surprise that Americans are not the healthiest population: We weren’t in the 1970s and we still aren’t today. So, who are the healthiest populations and how do they eat?

The healthiest populations in the world have thrived on carbohydrate-centric diets with corn, wheat, rice, or barley as the main staple, plus lots of vegetables and fruits. These populations are sometimes referred to as “Blue Zones.”

One example is the Okinawans of Japan. Their traditional diet derived close to 85 percent of calories from carbohydrates, with about 60 percent of calories specifically coming from sweet potatoes.

This emphasis on whole unprocessed foods high in carbs served the Okinawans very well. They were not obese, had much lower rates of diseases that plague the West, and were the longest-living people on the planet until they changed their diets. Older Okinawans who continue their traditional way of eating are still among the oldest living people on the planet.

Increased Cardiovascular Risk

Those who follow a low-carb diet have been found to be 50 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease and 51 percent more likely to die from cerebrovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease involves the hardening of the arteries and formation of cholesterol plaques in our vessels, which can cause blockages, blood clots, or tears in our vessels. The disease can manifest in the heart, as it often does; in the brain, where it causes strokes; or in other parts of the body. It’s the world’s leading cause of death, and the only diet that’s been found to stop and reverse it is a whole-food, plant-based vegan diet.

There are numerous factors that help explain the strong association between animal food consumption and cardiovascular risk. For example, eating animal foods in general (including poultry, eggs, dairy, and fish) results in our bodies’ producing higher amounts of a substance called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO directly injures the lining of our blood vessels and makes them prone to develop atherosclerosis.

That may be why cardiologist Dr. Kim Williams vigorously promoted a plant-based vegan diet during his tenure as president of the American College of Cardiology, and once famously said, “There are two kinds of cardiologists, those who are vegan and those who have not read the evidence.”

Dr. Robert Atkins himself sadly had a history of congestive heart failure and a heart attack, according to a medical report that was accidentally leaked from the New York medical examiner’s office following his death. His widow and the Atkins organization have always denied it.

It’s worth noting that those following a low-carb diet were also found to be 35 percent more likely to die of cancer.

Takeaways

It is extremely important to eat a varied and large amount of whole plant foods every day, something that is exceedingly difficult (if not impossible) to do if you’re displacing plant foods with animal foods in a misplaced effort to avoid carbs.

Yes, refined and processed foods (including processed carbs) are to be avoided. But don’t replace them with meat, eggs, and cheese. Replace them with foods that actually promote good health, such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and, yes (gasp!), potatoes, sweet potatoes, and bananas, too.

It’s easy to get the right proportions of nutrients (plus lots of antioxidants and phytonutrients that promote health and prevent disease) simply by eating a well-balanced and varied diet of whole plant foods. And, as no small added benefit, eating a plant-based vegan diet is also an effective and sustainable way to manage your weight.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post How Carbs Became a Dietary Supervillain appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

What is vitamin B12, and why do we need it?

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin that is important for the maintenance of the nervous system and in the formation of red blood cells.

Where does B12 come from?

Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria, not animals or plants. As such, animals, including humans, must obtain it directly or indirectly from bacteria. It can be found in bacteria-laden manure and unsanitized water, though we obviously should not be consuming either of those things. It can also be found in the human intestinal tract, but it’s not clear whether sufficient amounts are made and absorbed there to meet our nutritional needs.

Many animal foods contain high amounts of vitamin B12 because they accumulate this bacterial product during their lives, and livestock are often supplemented with vitamin B12 in their feed. These animals are also exposed to manure in their living conditions, with some even being fed manure. (For example, cows are sometimes fed poultry waste.) In fact, the FDA has reported that most meats are contaminated with fecal bacteria.

In the past, vitamin B12 from bacteria was also naturally and more reliably present in plant foods. Today, however, with modern hygienic practices more effectively cleaning and sanitizing produce, along with soil being exposed to more antibiotics and pesticides, most plant foods are no longer reliable sources of this bacterial product.

Interestingly, some plant foods still contain some vitamin B12, including certain mushrooms and seaweed. And, many plant-based food products, such as cereals, non-dairy milks, and nutritional yeast, are now fortified with a crystalline form of vitamin B12, making them good sources of vitamin B12.

The crystalline form of vitamin B12, which is the form used in fortified foods and supplements, is actually preferable to the protein-bound form present in animal foods because it’s generally easier for our bodies to absorb.

Who is at risk for B12 deficiency?

Unfortunately, many people appear to be at risk, as vitamin B12 deficiencies are fairly common in the general population. One study found that 40 percent of children and adults in Latin America had deficient or marginal status. Another study found that 20 percent of those over the age of 60 in the U.S. had a marginal status.

Another review found that 40 percent of patients in the U.S. had unexplained low vitamin B12 levels. Researchers attributed this shortfall to “food cobalamin malabsorption,” meaning the vitamin B12 that is naturally present in foods is simply not absorbed. Luckily, research has shown that these people are still able to absorb the crystalline form found in supplements and B12-fortified foods.

The absorption process for vitamin B12 is actually quite complex, requiring several physiologic elements to take place for it to occur adequately, and many factors can contribute to deficiencies. For example, long-term use of antacids, H. pylori infection, alcohol abuse, smoking, atrophic gastritis, and conditions that slow the movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract (such as diabetes, scleroderma, strictures, diverticula), are all associated with vitamin B12 deficiencies.

So, while people who abstain from eating animal foods can have lower levels of vitamin B12, it’s important to note that vitamin B12 deficiencies are not uncommon in the general population, even among those eating large amounts of animal foods.

What are the best sources for B12?

The crystalline form of vitamin B12 is the easiest to absorb, which is an important consideration. This is because, unlike the protein-bound form of vitamin B12 (found in animal foods), the crystalline form is “free” (i.e., not attached to a protein), and therefore does not require gastric acid for initial digestion. The crystalline form is present in vitamin B12 supplements and B12-fortified foods, including many cereals, plant-based milks, and nutritional yeast.

Are animal foods a good source of vitamin B12?

While animal foods contain high amounts of protein-bound vitamin B12, they are not an ideal source for vitamin B12 for two main reasons:

First, the protein-bound B12 in animal foods can be difficult for some people to absorb, particularly those who don’t have appropriate amounts of gastric acid to cleave the protein from the vitamin.

Second, animal foods are not the best source because consuming them increases our levels of IGF-1 (a hormone consistently associated with increased cancer risk and tumor growth), TMAO (a substance that injures the lining of our blood vessels and promotes the formation of cholesterol plaques), as well as other unhealthy substances such as heme iron, which is associated with oxidative stress and the formation of free radicals.

In fact, the recent past president of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Kim Williams, stated during his tenure that the extensive medical evidence linking TMAO to cardiovascular disease was, in his opinion, sufficient reason for people to avoid consuming all animal foods (even without considering all of the other highly problematic health issues associated with meat, dairy, and eggs).

What are the symptoms of B12 deficiency?

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are fairly non-specific, and can include fatigue, weakness, lightheadedness, and loss of appetite. Shortness of breath, numbness, and memory problems can also occur. The wide-ranging and imprecise nature of these symptoms underscores the importance of being proactive in avoiding this vitamin deficiency.

What happens if B12 deficiency is overlooked or ignored?

Because vitamin B12 helps in the formation of nucleotides (genetic material), a deficiency can impair our normal production of DNA. This can first manifest as difficulty with the normal production of red blood cells, and can result in anemia. It can also result in problems with the maintenance of the nervous system, causing a wide variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms.

Who should take a B12 supplement or get tested?

Given the prevalence of deficiencies in the general population, regardless of one’s diet, everyone should monitor their vitamin B12 status or take a supplement (or both). This is a deficiency that’s usually easy for a medical professional to identify and treat.

For most healthy people with no known deficiency, a blood test including vitamin B12 levels at your annual physical is normally appropriate. Keep in mind that vitamin B12 can be stored in the liver for a few years and keep our blood levels high, even if we are no longer absorbing or consuming enough of it.

Additional tests available to further evaluate and diagnose a suspected B12 deficiency include methyl malonic acid and homocysteine levels (both of which are usually elevated when there is a B12 deficiency).

So, what’s the bottom line when it comes to B12?

Vitamin B12 is an important and necessary nutrient. However, animal foods are not the best source due to the health issues noted above. Everyone (regardless of their diet) should monitor their B12 levels and ensure they have a reliable source by taking a vitamin supplement or eating B12-fortified plant foods (or both). In the end, avoiding vitamin B12 deficiencies is easy and inexpensive, but it is something we should be mindful of.

Learn more about whole-food, plant-based nutrition on our FAQ page.

The post Vitamin B12: All Your Questions Answered appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

But it’s important to understand that having a higher proportion of essential amino acids, as animal protein does, is actually damaging (not advantageous) for our health. We outline seven ways that animal protein damages your health.

1. Animal Protein and Fiber (or total lack thereof)

Unlike plant protein, which comes packaged with fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients, animal protein comes with exactly none of the foregoing. To this point, meat, eggs, poultry, dairy, fish and other animal foods have absolutely no fiber whatsoever.

Many people, in their effort to “get enough” protein, tend to eat large amounts of animal foods, which displaces plant foods that have these important nutrients. Fiber deficiencies, in particular, are far more common than not.

For example, The Institute of Medicine recommends that men consume 38 grams of fiber, but the average adult only eats about 15 grams per day—less than half the recommended amount. In fact, according to the USDA, almost all Americans (~95%) do not get an adequate amount of dietary fiber.^38,39

High fiber intake is associated with decreased cancer risk, specifically colon and breast cancers, as well as lower risk of ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, constipation and diverticulitis. It may also reduce the risk of stroke, high cholesterol, and heart disease.^40,41

2. Animal Protein and IGF-1 (increased cancer risk)

When we ingest proteins that have a higher proportion of the essential amino acids (which is a characteristic of animal protein), it results in our bodies producing higher levels of the hormone insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).^2-8

This hormone stimulates cell division and growth in both healthy and cancer cells and, for this reason, having higher circulating levels of IGF-1 has been consistently associated with increased cancer risk, proliferation, and malignancy.^2-8

3. Animal Protein and TMAO

Consuming animal protein also results in us having higher circulating levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO).

TMAO is a substance that injures the lining of our vessels, creates inflammation, and facilitates the formation of cholesterol plaques in our blood vessels. And that, of course, is highly problematic for cardiovascular health.^9,10

TMAO is created by complex interactions involving our gut flora and the nutrients in the food we eat. And when we eat animal foods, it alters our gut flora in such a way that facilitates the creation of TMAO.^9,10

So, consuming animal foods result in higher TMAO levels, which is damaging to our vessels. Even without all of the other problematic aspects of animal foods, this one issue involving TMAO is, according to the recent president of the American College of Cardiology Dr. Kim A. Williams, sufficient by itself for people to vigorously avoid animal foods.¹¹

4. Animal Protein and Phosphorus

Animal protein contains high levels of phosphorus. And when we consume high amounts of phosphorus, one of the ways our bodies normalize the level of phosphorus is with a hormone called fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23).

FGF23 has been found to be harmful to our blood vessels. It can also lead to hypertrophy of the cardiac ventricle (abnormal enlargement of our cardiac muscle) and is associated with heart attacks, sudden death, and heart failure.^12,13 So eating animal protein with its high concentration of phosphorus can result in increased levels of this hormone in our bodies, which in turn is highly problematic for our health.

5. Animal Protein, Heme Iron, and Free Radicals

Iron is the most abundant metal in the human body. We can consume it in two forms: (a) heme iron, found widely in animal foods like meat, poultry, and fish; and (b) non-heme iron found widely in plant foods.

One of the problems with heme iron is that it can convert less reactive oxidants into highly reactive free radicals.¹⁴ And free radicals can damage different cell structures like proteins, membranes, and DNA.^14,15

Heme iron can also catalyze the formation of N-nitroso compounds in our bodies, which are potent carcinogens. So, not surprisingly, high intake of heme iron has been associated with many kinds of gastrointestinal cancers as well as other pathologies.¹⁵

It is true that heme iron has higher absorption rates and bioavailability than non-heme iron. However, iron itself can cause oxidative stress and DNA damage, so with iron generally, it’s not always a situation where “more is better.”¹⁵

While we definitely need iron, the absorption and bioavailability of iron from a well-rounded plant-based diet is generally adequate, and we can avoid the problems associated with heme iron and other negative health attributes of animal foods.^16,17

6. Higher Sulfur-Containing Amino Acids and Bone Health Problems

Animal proteins also have, in general, higher concentrations of sulfur-containing amino acids, which can induce a subtle state of acidosis when metabolized.¹⁸ One of the mechanisms our bodies use to compensate for this acidosis is leaching calcium from our bones to help neutralize the increased acidity. Over time, this can have a detrimental effect on bone health.^19-24

This is thought to be one of the reasons why some studies have found that populations with higher dairy consumption, as well as higher consumption of animal protein in general, also have a higher incidence of bone fractures.^18-30

7. Animal Protein and Cholesterol

Most animal foods contain saturated fat and cholesterol (this is true for even so-called “lean” meats like chicken, turkey, and salmon, regardless of how they are cooked or prepared—even if boiled, baked, or steamed).

As humans, we do not need to consume any cholesterol, since our bodies synthesize all the cholesterol we need for our physiologic functions.

Eating cholesterol despite this fact is problematic for our health, as it increases our risk of developing heart disease—currently the No. 1 cause of death for both men and women in the United States.^31-37

Atherosclerosis, or plaques of cholesterol that accumulate in the lining of our vessels, is exquisitely less common on a plant-based vegan diet devoid of animal products. And some studies have found that eating this way can even reverse atherosclerosis.^32-37

The Real “High Quality” Foods

Given all the issues, the “high quality” aspect of animal protein might be more appropriately described as “high risk” instead.

And there’s no need to obsess about getting enough protein either. If you are eating a sensible variety of plant foods (e.g., vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, roots, nuts, and seeds), and you are eating enough calories (i.e., you feel satisfied), there is no need to worry about protein adequacy.

The amino acids we need are structurally identical regardless of the source. However, as discussed above, there are serious health implications depending on whether the amino acids are packaged within animal or plant foods. Dr. Walter Willett, the chair of Harvard’s Department of Nutrition, said it well:

“To the metabolic systems engaged in protein production and repair, it is immaterial whether amino acids come from animal or plant protein. However, protein is not consumed in isolation. Instead, it is packaged with a host of other nutrients.”⁴²

He therefore recommends that you “pick the best protein packages by emphasizing plant sources of protein rather than animal sources.”⁴²

In the end, plant foods are the real “high quality” foods that we should be eating for optimal health.

_Sources:

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The post 7 Ways Animal Protein is Damaging Your Health appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Dairy foods (including cow’s milk) have not been part of the diet of adults for the vast majority of human evolution.[2] We’ve only been consuming these foods for about 7,500 years,[3] compared to the roughly 200,000 years humans have been around (with our basic biochemical functionality evolving still a few million years before that).[4]

Intensive and successful marketing by the dairy industry (including slogans like “Milk – It Does a Body Good” and “Got Milk”) have reinforced a broadly ingrained belief that dairy is good for our health. But is it, really?

Dairy has come under fire and scrutiny from nutritional experts, scientists and physicians for its associations with a number of serious health issues.

1. Even Organic Milk Usually Contains Hormones

Dairy is a significant source of female hormone exposure.[5] Commercial cow’s milk contains large amounts of estrogen and progesterone, which is a serious concern. This is further exacerbated by modern dairy cows being genetically altered to continuously produce milk – even throughout their repeated pregnancies.[5] [6]

Even milk products labeled “organic” or “no hormones added” usually contain high levels of these problematic hormones, which are naturally produced by cows (even if those cows have not been given any additional hormones for purposes of the product label).

• In both adults and children, milk consumption has resulted in markedly increased levels of estradiol and progesterone in blood and urine,[6] and dairy consumption in general has been associated with increased levels of circulating estradiol.[7]
• The data show that men who drink milk will absorb the estrogens in the milk, which has been found to result in significantly decreased testosterone production/levels.[6]
• Pediatricians have expressed concern regarding childhood exposure to the exogenous estrogens in commercial milk, given studies showing that early sexual maturation in prepubescent children can be caused by the “ordinary intake of cow milk.”[6]
• A broad array of multi-centered, peer-reviewed studies has shown that dairy consumption is one of the most concerning and consistent risk factors for hormone-dependent malignant diseases, including ovarian, uterine, breast, testicular and prostate cancers.[5-15]

Also, while there is a culturally popular idea that soy foods may cause feminizing effects, several studies have found that isoflavones (the plant-derived compounds in soybeans with estrogenic activity) do not exert feminizing effects on men, even at high consumption levels.[16] Other studies have found that soy food consumption is even protective against breast cancer.[17] [18] I think we should be far more concerned about the high levels of real female sex hormones found in dairy, the consumption of which results in measurably higher circulating levels of these problematic hormones.[5]

2. Casein From Dairy = Increased Risk of Cancer Development

Casein is the main protein in dairy, and studies have shown that it facilitates the growth and development of cancer. In fact, some studies even found that cancer development could be controlled more by casein levels in diet than by exposure to the underlying carcinogen.[19]

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (or IGF-1), a hormone that promotes cell growth and division in both normal and cancer cells, is thought to be one of the mechanisms responsible for this association. IGF-1 appears to be nutritionally regulated, and animal protein consumption (including casein from dairy foods) leads to higher circulating levels of this cancer-promoting hormone. For this reason, consuming casein from dairy (as well as animal protein in general) is associated with increased risk of cancer development and proliferation.[19-25]

3. Higher Risk of Type 1 Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis

Our immune system normally protects us from microbes and other harmful substances. But if it loses its ability to recognize and distinguish harmful substances from normal tissues and cells, it can instead mount attacks against our own bodies.

These “auto-attacks” can be triggered by exposure to foreign peptides (including animal protein fragments found in dairy), which have similarities to components in the human body. This can result in our immune system becoming “confused” and misidentifying tissues in our body as “foreign” and thus in need of being attacked and destroyed.

Dairy is associated with increased risk of several immune-related disorders (from allergic conditions to autoimmune diseases), many being life-changing and difficult to treat. The associations with type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis are particularly concerning:

• Type 1 Diabetes. In type 1 diabetes (also called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)), the immune system attacks the pancreas, resulting in the body no longer being able to produce insulin to regulate glucose. Multiple large-scale studies have identified an association between cow’s milk consumption and increased prevalence of type 1 diabetes.[26-30] One such study found that “cows’ milk may contain a triggering factor for the development of IDDM,”[26] and another found that “[e]arly cow’s milk exposure may be an important determinant of subsequent type 1 diabetes and may increase the risk approximately 1.5 times.”[27]
• Multiple Sclerosis. In multiple sclerosis (MS), the immune system attacks the insulating sheath of our own nervous system, resulting in a variety of difficult-to-treat and unpredictable neurologic problems. As with type 1 diabetes, numerous studies have reported that cow’s milk consumption may be a significant risk factor for developing MS.[31] [32] [33]

4. Even Pasteurized Milk Contains Microorganisms

Milk and other dairy products are important vehicles for foodborne pathogens due to a variety of microorganisms they harbor.[34] Even with modern sanitation requirements, including pasteurization and curing, outbreaks still occur, resulting in severe and sometimes even fatal outcomes.

Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli are some of the more common foodborne outbreaks associated with dairy.[35] Just last year, for example, three people tragically died from Listeria infections linked to Blue Bell Ice Cream (prompting a large-scale recall by Blue Bell Creameries).[36] [37]

Not even our food regulatory agencies expect milk will be sterile after pasteurization; the heating process is done merely to reduce (not eliminate) the amount of microorganisms.

5. Dairy Products Accumulate Pesticides in High Concentrations

Exposure to organochlorine pesticides (OCP) is another problem associated with dairy. While pesticide contamination affects water and agricultural lands generally, dairy products have a greater capacity to accumulate these pesticides in higher concentrations, due in part to their high fat content.[38] [39]

Even pesticides that have long been banned still show up when dairy products are tested. Some OCPs (like DDT, which was widely used in the past and now banned as a human carcinogen) still persist in the environment and can more easily accumulate in animal food products, including dairy.

In India, milk and other dairy products (like cheese and butter) have been reported as the major sources of dietary DDT and hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH),[40] and routine monitoring detected that milk from dairy farms in Italy’s Sacco River Valley had levels of ß-HCH twenty times higher than the legal limit.[41]

6. Increased Exposure to Antibiotic Residue

The largest use of antibiotics worldwide is for livestock.[42] Much of that use is for non-therapeutic purposes, such as infection prevention and to promote feed efficiency and animal growth.[43]

Apart from the dire warnings from scientists that agricultural overuse is leading to antibiotic resistance,[44] [45] another problem is that antibiotic residues persist in milk and other dairy products despite protocols aimed to minimize this.

It is difficult to prevent and control these antibiotic residues because milk from individual cows and farms is usually pooled together, and the administration, handling and record-keeping of animal drug use can vary significantly from one dairy operation to another.[46]

The resulting low-dose antibiotic exposure can lead to a variety of problems, from developing antibiotic resistance to allergic reactions to experiencing side-effects of the medication to which a person is exposed.

7. Dairy Can Lead to Bone Problems Too

This may come as a surprise to many, but dairy does not appear to be good for bone health, either.

Not only has the body of scientific evidence been found inadequate to support the idea that dairy consumption promotes bone health,[47] but numerous large-scale studies have found that consuming dairy may actually be detrimental to bone health.[48-51] In fact, there is substantial data linking higher milk intake with significantly increased risk of bone fractures.[48] [49] [50] [51]

There are several mechanisms thought to be responsible for the pathophysiology. One is dairy’s high calcium content, which can cause vitamin D dysregulation and therefore disrupt bone homeostasis. Another is that the high animal protein content of dairy can induce acidosis from its high proportion of sulfur-containing amino acids, which in turn leads to the body compensating by leaching calcium from the bones to help neutralize the increased acidity. Over time, all of this can have a detrimental effect on bone health.[49-60]

While several other factors, such as physical activity, can affect bone health, it’s significant to note that the U.S. has one of the highest rates of hip fractures in the world, despite our high milk intake. By contrast, in countries like Japan and Peru, where average daily calcium intake is as low as 300 milligrams per day (less than a third of the U.S. daily recommendation for adults), the incidence of bone fractures is actually quite low.[48] [49] [61]

Fortunately, calcium is abundant in plant foods, including leafy green vegetables, legumes and seeds, often with higher absorption rates than the calcium in dairy—and of course without all of dairy’s associated health problems.

(RELATED: Getting Clarity About Calcium)

CONCLUSIONS

Each mammalian species produces milk for its own babies, and the content of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and minerals is specific to provide optimum nutrition for a baby of that particular species. The milk from an elephant, tiger, sea lion and cow are each different from one another, and they are all different from human milk.

When we think about it, the health problems associated with consuming the milk and dairy products of other species should not come as any surprise. No other species consumes milk regularly past the weaning period and certainly not from another species—and, as mentioned above, we humans have also not being doing so for the vast majority of our own evolutionary history.

Fortunately, with plant milks, such as soy, almond and rice now available, as well as delicious plant-based versions of other dairy products, it’s never been easier or more convenient to completely avoid dairy.

View Sources

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[51] D Feskanich, HA Bischoff-Ferrari, L Frazier and WC Willett. Milk Consumption During Teenage Years and Risk of Hip Fractures in Older Adults. JAMA Pediatr. 2014 Jan; 168(1): 54–60. Available here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3983667 (accessed Feb. 8, 2016).

[52] E Giovannucci. Dietary Influences of 1,25(OH)2 Vitamin D in Relation to Prostate Cancer: A hypothesis. Cancer Causes Control. 1998 Dec; 9(6):567-82. Available here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10189042 (accessed Feb. 11, 2016).

[53] HC Sherman and AO Gettler. The Balance of Acid-Forming and Base-Forming Elements in Foods, and its Relation to Ammonia Metabolism. J. Biol. Chem. 1912 11: 323-338. Available here: http://www.jbc.org/content/11/4/323.citation (accessed Feb. 11, 2016).

[54] HC Sherman, AR Rose and MS Rose. Calcium Requirement of Maintenance in Man. J. Biol. Chem. 1920 44: 21-27. Available here http://www.jbc.org/content/44/1/21.citation (accessed Feb. 11, 2016).

[55] BJ Abelow, TR Holford and KL Insogna. Cross-cultural Association between Dietary Animal Protein and Hip Fracture: A hypothesis. Calcif Tissue Int. 1992 Jan;50(1):14-8. Available here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1739864 (accessed Feb. 11, 2016).

[56] D Feskanich, WC Willett, MJ Stampfer, GA Colditz. Protein Consumption and Bone Fractures in Women. Am J Epidemiol. 1996 Mar 1; 143(5):472-9. Available here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8610662 (accessed Feb. 11, 2016).

[57] LA Frassetto, RC Morris Jr., DE Sellmeyer, A Sebastian. Adverse Effects of Sodium Chloride on Bone in the Aging Human Population Resulting from Habitual Consumption of Typical American Diets. Br J Cancer. J Nutr. 2008 Feb; 138(2):419S-422S. Available here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18203914 (accessed Feb. 11, 2016).

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So, should we be eating fish to promote health?

Four Major Problems With Fish

1. Animal protein and IGF-1 

Just like the proteins in dairy, eggs, and meat, the protein in fish also contains a higher proportion of essential amino acids, which results in our bodies producing increased levels of the hormone IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1).[i] [ii] [iii]

IGF-1 stimulates cell division and growth, and it is associated with cancer proliferation and malignancy. The role of IGF-1 in cancer promotion is well understood, and animal protein, including fish, is associated with increased circulating levels of this hormone (and thereby with increased risk of cancer development).[iv] [v] [vi] [vii] [viii]

2. Cholesterol and saturated fat

While fish is frequently touted for its preformed long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), it is important to note the following:

• Although some fish contain a small (but nutritionally adequate) amount of these essential nutrients, most of the remaining fats in fish meat are saturated fats and cholesterol which (despite popular opinion to the contrary) are highly associated with cardiovascular disease.
• For example, three ounces of bass has some 74 milligrams of cholesterol, about the same as the 75 milligrams of cholesterol found in a 3-ounce serving of beef.[ix] 
• Fish only contain omega-3 fatty acids because they get them from the plants they eat. Omega-3 is found in whole plants like nuts, seeds, beans, vegetables and fruits in adequate amounts.
• As humans, we do not need to eat any cholesterol in our diets, as our bodies synthesize all the cholesterol we need for our physiologic functions. Eating cholesterol despite this fact can be problematic for our health, as it increases our risk of developing heart disease.

3. Contaminants and pollutants

Fish are very commonly the subject of health risk advisories, the majority of which are caused by contamination of their ocean habitat with heavy metals like mercury, industrial byproducts like dioxin and PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and pesticides/insecticides like chlordane and DDT.[x]

A recent study sampled fish from around the world and found unsafe levels of mercury in up to 84 percent of them (and the situation promises to only get worse, as mercury emissions are continuing to increase on a global scale.[xi])

Mercury is a neurotoxic heavy metal that is difficult to eliminate from the body once ingested. It can cause a wide variety of neurologic disturbances and can inhibit normal cardiac physiology when it accumulates in the heart muscle.[xii] It also has the capacity to cross the placenta barrier in pregnant women and can cause central nervous system damage to a developing fetus.[xiii]

4. What fish doesn’t have

Another important factor to consider beyond the dangerous qualities of fish (animal protein, cholesterol, fat, and toxins), is what it lacks. Fish, like beef and other meats, is also missing fiber, beneficial carbohydrates, healthy phytochemicals, and macronutrients in the right proportions, which makes it a poor choice as a health-promoting food.

But Fish Is “Less Bad” Than Red Meat, Right?

In some respects, fish does appear to be less disadvantageous to health than some other animal foods. However a food doesn’t become a health food just because it may have less severe problems as compared with something else that’s even more harmful to our body. In terms of weight, diabetes risk, and other important health indicators, researchers find that fish eaters might do better than meat eaters as a group, but they don’t do nearly as well as plant-based eaters.

In Conclusion …

Consumption of fish should not be encouraged from a health perspective, given not only its unacceptable levels of mercury, dioxin, and PCBs (the toxicity of which is well established), but also the cholesterol and saturated fat content, and the inherent increased cancer risk associated with animal protein in general.

The ideal (or “gold standard”) diet from a health standpoint remains a whole-food, plant-based diet, which means eating vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, fruits, and seeds, while excluding animal food (like fish).

This is a fortuitous fact too, because plant-based foods are also generally far easier to produce, use less water, and generate a significantly lower environmental footprint than do animal foods. In contrast, the practice of obtaining animal foods (including fish) for human consumption devastates the environment on many different fronts, and is simply not sustainable at current and ever-growing demand levels.)

_{Sources:
[i] MF McCarty. Vegan proteins may reduce risk of cancer, obesity, and cardiovascular disease by promoting increased glucagon activity. Med Hypotheses. 1999 Dec.; 53(6): 459-85.
[ii] NE Allen, PN Appleby, GK Davey, R Kaaks, S Rinaldi, TJ Key. The associations of diet with serum insulin-like growth factor I and its main binding proteins in 292 women meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2002 Nov.; 11(11):1441-8.
[iii] NE Allen, PN Appleby, GK Davey, TJ Key. Hormones and diet: low insulin-like growth factor-I but normal bioavailable androgens in vegan men. Br J Cancer. 2000 Jul.; 83(1):95-7.
[iv] LD Youngman, TC Campbell. Inhibition of aflatoxin B1-induced gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase positive (GGT+) hepatic preneoplastic foci and tumors by low protein diets: evidence that altered GGT+ foci indicate neoplastic potential, Carcinogenesis. 1992 Sept.; 13(9):1607-13.
[v] GE Dunaif, TC Campbell. Relative contribution of dietary protein level and aflatoxin B1 dose in generation of presumptive preneoplastic foci in rat liver. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1987 Feb.; 78(2):365-9.
[vi] TC Campbell. Dietary protein, growth factors, and cancer. Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85:1667.
[vii] D Ornish, G Weidner, WR Fair, R Marlin, EB Pettengill, CJ Raisin, S Dunn-Emke, L Crutchfield, FN Jacobs, RJ Barnard, WJ Aronson, P McCormac, DJ McKnight, JD Fein, AM Dnistrian, J Weinstein, TH Ngo, NR Mendell, PR Carroll. Intensive lifestyle changes may affect the progression of prostate cancer. J Urol. 2005 Sept.; 174(3):1065-9; discussion 1069-70.`
[viii] DL Kleinberg, TL Wood, PA Furth, AV Lee. Growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I in the transition from normal mammary development to preneoplastic mammary lesions. Endocr Rev. 2009 Feb.; 30(1):51-74. doi: 10.1210/er.2008-0022. Epub 2008 Dec 15.
[ix] United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Release 27. Available here (accessed Sept. 26, 2015).
[x] United States Environmental Protection Agency NLFA Advisories Where You Live User’s Guide.Available here (accessed Sept. 9, 2015).
[xii] Aschner M, Aschner JL. Mercury Neurotoxicity: Mechanisms of Blood-Brain Barrier Transport. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 1990 Summer; 14(2):169-76. Available here (accessed Sept. 26, 2015); see also Azevedo BF, et al. Toxic Effects of Mercury on the Cardiovascular and Central Nervous Systems. J Biomed Biotechnol. 2012; 2012: 949048. Available here (accessed Sept. 26, 2015).
[xiii] Gundacker C, Hengstschlager M. The Role of the Placenta in Fetal Exposure to Heavy Metals. Wien Med Wochenschr. 2012;162:201-206.}

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