Milk is good for the body in many ways.

When filling a meal with ramen, it is also recommended to accompany it with milk to supplement minerals such as calcium. However, even healthy foods should be consumed in moderation.

 

Recent research has shown that women should limit their milk intake to no more than 1.5 cups per day. If they want to consume more than that, yogurt is recommended instead of milk.

 

A surgical research team at Uppsala University in Sweden analyzed the correlation between milk intake and the risk of developing ischemic heart disease, and found that women who consume more than 300 mL of milk per day (about 1.5 cups) have an increased risk of developing ischemic heart diseases such as acute myocardial infarction. This correlation was not observed with fermented dairy products.

The research team utilized data from two cohort studies involving Swedish adults. Data from 59,998 women and 47,777 men, totaling 107,75 individuals, were analyzed. Over a 33-year follow-up period, 17,896 cases of ischemic heart disease occurred, of which 10,714 were acute myocardial infarctions. Participants' intake of milk and fermented dairy products was measured through surveys. Milk consumption was categorized based on fat content into less than 3%, 1.5%, and 0.5%, while fermented dairy intake was assessed based on yogurt or sour milk (fermented with lactic acid). Cheese and cream were excluded.

 

Analysis results showed that, unlike men, women who drink more than 300 mL (1.5 cups) of milk per day experience an increased risk of heart disease proportional to their milk intake. This correlation was observed regardless of the fat content in the milk consumed. For women, even low-fat milk consumed in amounts exceeding 300 mL per day is associated with a higher risk of heart disease. Compared to drinking 100 mL (half a cup) per day, the risk increases by 1.05 times when drinking 400 mL (two cups), 1.12 times at 600 mL (three cups), and 1.21 times at 800 mL (four cups).

 

On the other hand, consuming fermented dairy products such as yogurt or sour milk did not increase the risk of developing ischemic heart disease, regardless of whether the individual was male or female.

 

The research team identified the cause of this correlation in lactose (milk sugar) found in milk. Lactose is composed of glucose and galactose. If galactose is not properly broken down in the body, oxidative stress and inflammation occur. In the long term, this can lead to ischemic heart disease, and the ability to break down galactose tends to be less in women than in men. Fermented dairy products contain less lactose than milk, so they have less galactose.

 

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Risk of developing ischemic heart disease

If you're worried

Yogurt seems to be much better than milk.