MILK

Milk is one of the most common dietary constituents in the western diet. We have milk or dairy products in our coffee, cereal, sauces, chocolate, desserts and drinks. But is it really any good for us?

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 Milk contains the following:
Animal proteins (Mainly Casein)
Animal fats
Hormones (Including IGF-1)
Water
 And depending on what and where you read:
Herbicides
Pesticides
Dioxins
Antibiotics
Excrement
Bacteria
Viruses

So the main possible side effects:
High Cholesterol
Calcium Deficiency - milk supposedly has a negative effect on bone calcium deposition.
Increased allergies - including sinus troubles (Casein is a histamine which can increase mucus production)
Diabetes - The protein Lactalbumin found in milk has been noted as a key factor in diabetes.
Lactose Intolerance - bloating, gas, cramping and diarrhoea

Whats wrong with homogenised milk?
The process involves forcing milk through a sieve at high speed, breaking up the fat molecules so they cannot float on the surface. Xanthine oxidase is a molecule attached to milk fat which allows the fat to be filtered out by the liver. Homogenised milk however refines the fat molecule and allows it to cross the blood barrier into the bloodstream.

A while back doctors and scientists believed that calcium deficiency was caused purely by lack of milk and dairy product intake. Meanwhile, milk contains less calcium than most of your green leafy vegetables and seeds.The body also needs magnesium to help absorb calcium, cows milk with a ratio of 1:8 is far below the recommended 1:1 or 1:2 for humans.

Depending on the milk farm, some cows are treated with recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). These cows have higher IGF-1 hormone floating around. IGF-1 is a growth hormone that activates cell growth and proliferation, and has been linked with proliferation of cancer cells.

Cheese is approximately 10x the concentration of milk... 10x the hormones and 10x the fat.

In terms of actual clinical research, there isn't much available to support or negate these supposed 'facts'...One would have to argue however, would the USA milk and dairy industry, consisting of approximately 9,2 million cows supplying various other industries in the food and catering sector, allow such information to be freely available?

Reading the above, is it worth it?

http://www.jyi.org/volumes/volume6/issue3/features/lee_and_wei.html
http://www.rense.com/general26/milk.htm
http://www.patientsville.com/medication/milk_side_effects.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin-like_growth_factor_1
http://www.preventcancer.com/consumers/general/milk.htm