Use or harm, food or drink? What do we know about milk?

Fats

The fats in the milk are in the form of an emulsion of small balls. There are 15 billion of them in 1 cm3 of milk. Fatty milk balls include not only triglycerides with different types of fatty acids, mainly saturated, but also mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids, as well as enzymes, phospholipids, cerebrosides, lipoproteins, sterols, vitamins (A, D, carotene).

 

Benefits: Dairy fat plays an important energy function in the diet, and the fats also form the taste of the milk product.

 

Less: A significant disadvantage of such fats for adults is their high atherogenic activity with excessive consumption and lack of polyunsaturated fats in the diet, manifested by the increased risk of cholesterol plaque formation in the walls of blood vessels and the development of atherosclerosis.

 

 

Mineral substances

Cow's milk also owes its beneficial properties to the minerals it contains. These substances are in the form of mineral salts, but some of them are associated with proteins, which makes them the most digestible. Potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese and copper (macroelements) are present in appreciable quantities, and trace elements, which are more than a dozen and a half, can be found only by spectroscopic analysis. All milk minerals are of great physiological importance for humans.

 

Due to the high concentration of calcium, this product is indispensable in the diet of both children and adolescents and the elderly. Milk is much higher in calcium absorption than MEAT and fish. This is especially important for children, as it is during this period of time that bones are formed and calcium accumulates in them, the deficit of which will not be able to fill in at an older age.

 

Unfortunately, the consumption of milk among the population of our country is gradually decreasing, which leads to an increase in fractures in children, even with minor injuries. But in CHINA and Japan, where milk has traditionally not been consumed, special programs have been developed for children - students are given daily additional portions of milk, because the activity of lactase enzyme at this age is still quite high. It is noted that the growth of these nations has increased by almost 10 cm.

 

Vitamins

Milk is a wonderful product that contains all the vitamins necessary for humans, both fat-soluble and water-soluble. Vitamin D is especially important, which additionally helps to absorb calcium. In case of insufficient content of these two substances in the diet, children develop rickets, so in gray, cloudy days, this product must be present in the diet. Milk is rich in vitamin A, which maintains visual acuity and ensures the beauty and HEALTH of the skin. Folic acid contained in the milk will provide a healthy complexion, maintain muscle tone, especially important for expectant mothers, as it helps to form the NERVOUS SYSTEM of the fetus.

 

The content of all nutrients depends largely on the season of the year, feed and breed of animal.

 

Milk from other animals

 

 

In addition to cow's milk, people eat milk from goats, sheep, mares, buffalo, yaks, camels, yaks, zebas, deer, donkeys.

 

All mammals have a different composition of milk in terms of both fat, protein, carbohydrates and the concentration of vitamins and minerals.

 

Goat milk is the second most frequently consumed milk in Belarus. In terms of chemical composition, it is no worse than cow's milk, and in terms of a number of parameters it even exceeds it. The protein composition of goat milk is similar in composition to that of women. It contains a lot of albumin and globulin. Allergic reactions to it occur less frequently. Goat's milk fats are better absorbed by the body, because the fatty balls are twice as small as in cow's milk. Goat milk contains more vitamins A, C, D and PP. At the moment in the world practice there is a tendency to use goat's milk for creation of children's nutrition, in cheese production and medical nutrition. At the moment there is an attempt to create a new generation of milk - therapeutic. In the course of the Belarusian-Russian project, genetics transplanted human genes into goats. As a result of the experiment, a natural antibiotic of female milk - lactoferin - appeared in goat's milk.

 

The harm of goat's milk may be associated with a high content of saturated fat, so such milk should be limited in the diet of people suffering from excess body weight, obesity and atherosclerosis. Also, if a person has lactase deficiency, goat's milk, despite its low lactose content, will not be digested and will lead to diarrhoea. When using raw milk from sick animals can cause serious infectious diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis, brucellosis and others.