Aspartame in Milk: More ?Real Milk? Myths ? DrAxe.com

You may have heard about the latest uproar: the dairy industry wants the FDA to change its definition of milk. Why? They claim that it will benefit children?s health, that kids will drink more milk if they don?t realize it?s sweetened with aspartame. They?re referring to chocolate milk and other flavored milks for the most part, but low-fat milks also contain added sweeteners.

Some school systems have banned sugary beverages in order to combat childhood obesity, including flavored milks containing added sugar or high fructose corn syrup. The dairy industry reacted by offering reduced-calorie chocolate milk. They now claim that terms such a ?reduced calorie,? ?reduced sugar,? ?low-calorie? or ?diet? turns kids off. The FDA presently requires that any ?non-nutritive? additive be boldly listed on the front label as well as being included in the ingredient list. In addition, non-nutritive additives change milk composition so much that the FDA decided these altered drinks cannot be simply called ?milk? or ?chocolate milk,? but must be labeled as ?low-calorie? or ?reduced calorie? beverages.

The dairy industry purports that milk lower in sugar and sweetened with aspartame is a healthy choice for our kids. The industry is playing on parent?s concerns: many parents still think that their children are getting needed nutrients by drinking chocolate milk that they wouldn?t get otherwise. If you think this is true, you may want to take a look at my article: ?Which is More Deadly: Aspartame or Sugar?? ?In an NPR.com article, nutrition professor Barry Popkin says that there is no real evidence that flavored milks increase milk consumption among children.

Does Milk Contribute to Obesity?

Low-fat dairy choices are common today. We?ve been told that whole milk can contribute to weight gain and heart disease. Yet, reducing fat reduces flavor. That?s why low-fat milk often has added sugar or artificial sweetener.

The Physicians for Responsible Medicine (PFRM) report that a recent study published in Archives of Disease in Childhood found that low-fat milk did not lower obesity rates among small children. In fact, kids that drank one percent or skim milk were more likely to be overweight or obese than kids that drank whole milk.

An earlier study, published in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, came up with similar results. Tracking 12 adolescents for four years, the researchers found that drinking skim milk and one percent milk was associated with weight gain but milk fat was not.

Plus, researchers are finding that artificial sweeteners can change the chemistry of our brain and satiation receptors, leading to sweet cravings and unhealthy eating. You can read more about this in ?Sweet Addiction: Artificial Sweeteners Not So Sweet After All.?

Got Strong Bones?

Many parents believe their kids need to drink milk at school in order to get needed calcium for strong bones. PFRM thinks milk should be taken off the school menu because studies don?t support milk consumption and bone health. A Harvard study found that drinking milk doesn?t prevent the risk of bone fracture in women and recent studies find that drinking milk doesn?t prevent stress fractures in adolescent girls.

Milk fat is what helps us to absorb calcium. Stripping the fat and pasteurizing milk prevents us from absorbing its nutrients adequately.

What?s Real Milk?

First of all, consider what you?re getting in milk. Cows are fed grains rather than grass. They?re loaded with hormones to boost milk production and given antibiotics to prevent disease. They?re exposed to fertilizers and pesticides. If you aren?t buying locally, you don?t know what kind of conditions surround the milk you drink. Check out ?Are These Chemicals in Your Milk?? to see what you may be ingesting.

Then there?s pasteurization. High heat destroys helpful bacteria in milk so that it?s more vulnerable to population by bad bacteria. This heat destroys and denatures enzymes that help us to digest milk and utilize its nutrients. Pasteurization destroys the majority of vitamins A, C, D, E and the B vitamins. And calcium? We become less able to absorb calcium in milk because the pasteurization process destroys phosphatase, an enzyme we?d normally use to take calcium up.

Raw milk is real milk. To understand the truth about the dangers of pasteurized milk and the benefits of raw milk, read ?Raw Milk Myths: Are We Prisoners of Pasteurization?? ?I don?t think that pasteurized milk should be labeled as real milk, never mind low-fat milk with aspartame. There are plenty of healthy food choices you can give your kids to make sure they get needed nutrients. Just as the dairy industry shouldn?t be able to trick children and parents into choosing an artificially sweetened drink, parents shouldn?t be okaying sugary drinks like chocolate milk because they contain calcium. Teach your kids to eat and appreciate real foods and you won?t have to worry about what the food industry is trying to pass off as real food.

Lessons Learned

• Low-fat milk contains added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
• Low-fat, flavored milks are linked to weight gain in children.
• Pasteurization destroys nutrients in milk.
• Real milk is raw milk.

Sources

• Allison Aubrey, ?Can Milk Sweetened With Aspartame Still Be Called Milk?? National Public Radio, March 3, 2013, http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/06/173618723/can-milk-sweetened-with-aspartame-still-be-called-milk
• ?Low-Fat Milk Does Not Prevent or Reverse Childhood Obesity,? Physicians for Responsible Medicine, March 20, 2013, http://www.pcrm.org/health/medNews/low-fat-milk-does-not-prevent-or-reverse-childhood
• ?Let?s Really Move Milk Out of School Lunches,? Physicians for Responsible Medicine, http://www.pcrm.org/health/healthy-school-lunches/letsreallymove/lets-really-move-milk-out-of-school-lunches

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above may be ?affiliate links.? This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission?s 16 CFR, Part 255: ?Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.?

Source: http://www.draxe.com/aspartame-in-milk-more-real-milk-myths/

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