Friday, July 7, 2023

ALL THE FACTS ON MILK!!! A LIVING ENCYCLOPEDIA

 UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA RESEARCH


MILK—- FACTS FOR SCIENCE


FIVE YEARS, 150 PUBLICATIONS AND LOTS OF MILK BEHIND DATABASE OF MORE THAN 2,000 COMPOUNDS

by Hamad Issawi - STARMETRO EDMONTON

WHILE THE CONTENT OF A CARTON OF MILK ISN’T ALWAYS CLEAR, NEW WORK OUT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA LOOKS TO QUENCH THAT WITH A TALL GLASS OF FACTS.

AFTER FIVE YEARS OF RESEARCH…. IMMUNOLOGIST BURIM AMETAJ AND BIOLOGIST DAVID WISHART HAVE CHURNED OUT THE MILK COMPOSITION DATABASE, A COMPREHENSIVE WEBSITE LISTING AND DETAILING MORE THAN 2,000 COMPOUNDS FOUND IN COW’S MILK, INCLUDING 168 THAT HAVE NEVER BEFORE BEEN REPORTED.

“THERE ARE 2, 355 DIFFERENT COMPOUNDS,” AMETAJ EXPLAINED. “WE HAVE SEARCHED A LOT TO PUT TOGETHER ALL THIS TREMENDOUS INFORMATION, WHICH HAS BEEN SCATTERED IN DIFFERENT PAPERS IN DIFFERENT ARTICLES—— AND NOW YOU HAVE AN ‘ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MILK.’”

SCIENTISTS, NUTRITIONISTS, AND EVEN THE AVERAGE MILK LOVER, CAN PORE OVER THE RESOURCE TO FIND A WEALTH OF DETAIL ON INDIVIDUAL COMPOUNDS—— SUGARS, VITAMINS, MINERALS, AND FATS—— IN DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF MILK, FROM SLIM TO 3.25 PER CENT.

AMETAJ ADDED. “IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH CHOLESTEROL IS IN MILK, YOU WILL FIND IT. OR IF YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH VITAMIN A IS IN MILK, YOU WILL FIND IT.”
“THERE ARE CONSUMERS THAT DON’T LIKE TO EAT FAT” AMETAJ SAID. “BUT IN SKIM MILK, THE FAT HAS BEEN REMOVED, AND WHEN YOU REMOVE FAT, YOU ALSO REMOVE THESE FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMINS—— VITAMIN A. E, D AND K—— AND TO OUR SURPRISE, VITAMIN C IS A WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMIN, NOT A FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMIN.”

VERA BARAZ, A CERTIFIED DIETITIAN WORKING IN THE EDMONTON AREA WHO TESTED THE WEBSITE, SAID THAT WHILE SHE KNOWS MILK HAS A LOT OF NUTRIENTS, SEEING THE VOLUME OF INFORMATION IN THE DATABASE WAS A WELCOME SURPRISE.

AMETAJ SAID THE PROJECT WAS SUPPORTED BY BOTH THE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS, “THIS IS A BENEFIT NOT JUST FOR US, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD.”
………………..

YES RAW ORGANIC MILK STRAIGHT FROM A COW RAISED ORGANICALLY, IS THE GREATEST SUPER FOOD OF ALL SUPER FOODS!!!

SOME MONTHS BACK [FROM JULY, AS I ENTER THIS, 2019] WAS AN ADD ON THE TV, THE GUY SAID, “RAW WHOLE MILK IS THE ONLY SUBSTANCE ON EARTH, THAT YOU CAN LIVE ON FROM BEING AN ADULT, LIVE ONLY ON, AND NEVER DIE FROM MALNUTRITION.”

THE OLD “HEALTH AND STRENGTH” STRONG MAN, CHARLES ATLAS, WAS A TEACHER THAT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED YOU DRINK LOTS OF RAW WHOLE ORGANIC MILK. HE SAID, ALONG WITH OTHER HEALTHY FOODS, IT WOULD GIVE YOU A BABY’S COMPLEXION.
AND AS A TEENAGER FIRST STARTING TO DO HIS COURSE, I DID INDEED HAVE A SKIN COMPLEXION GIRLS WOULD ENVY.

IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND SCHOOL SYSTEM I WAS RAISED IN [FROM 7 TO 17] WE HAD FREE WHOLE MILK [CREAM CAME TO THE TOP]. I DRANK A PINT EACH DAY IN SCHOOL, AND MILK ON THE WEEK-ENDS AT HOME.

TRULY GOOD RAW WHOLE ORGANIC MILK IS THE GREATEST SUPER FOOD OF ALL SUPER FOODS [CHIA SEEDS AND BLUEBERRIES TWO OTHER “SUPER” FOODS].
TIME TO DRINK ORGANIC [RAW AS YOU CAN GET] MILK!

Keith Hunt


What's in that glass of milk you're drinking? Now you can find out, thanks to a new database created by University of Alberta researchers.

The newly launched, one-of-a-kind Milk Composition Database (MCDB) lists more than 2,000 compounds found in one of the world's most popular drinks.

"It's a bit like an encyclopedia of milk," said U of A biologist David Wishart, who created the free, comprehensive online reference with U of A immunobiologist Burim Ametaj and other U of A researchers.

The database brings together scattered findings drawn from their research of 150 existing studies about milk composition worldwide, along with results from chemical analysis in Wishart's lab of various substances in local milk varieties, including metal ions, vitamins, organic acids and amino acids.

Through five years of work, the researchers were able to identify 2,355 compounds, including 168 never before reported in milk.


Comparing nutritional value


Database users can search for and sort through the compounds, exploring them in several ways—for instance, looking into detailed nutritional differences between whole and skim milk, learning how it differs from other animal milk or finding out what's actually in milk.

"Many people might wonder about new compounds that have health claims. With this database, you can look them up online very easily to see if they're found in milk," Wishart noted.

The list allows nutritionists to closely compare the differing levels of essential vitamins and minerals in milk with varying levels of fat content, ranging from skim to three per cent varieties, Ametaj noted.

"When you remove fat from milk, you're taking away vitamins A, D, E, K and even vitamin C, so that can be important for tailoring nutritional counselling."

The database can be a launchpad for further exploration related to health, Wishart added. "We're hoping it will inspire more research into milk and milk products."

Identifying chemical markers for milk—and other foods—would provide much stronger data for health researchers, who could take blood, hair or urine samples for diet analysis instead of using traditional surveys, which are only generally accurate because they rely on human memory, he said.

"We need the ability to properly measure what we eat, to link nutrition to health and disease."

The MCDB is also useful to veterinarians, milk producers and processors, said Ametaj, who studies dairy cattle health. "We examine milk for diagnosis of diseases like mastitis in dairy cows, and the database provides a way to compare samples from sick cows with the profile of healthy milk." Elusive chemistry A full snapshot of milk may never be possible, Wishart said, because many compounds are still to be discovered.

"We probably won't be able to discover them all, at least not in the next 10 to 20 years. Milk is so chemically complex that there are probably reactions going on all the time, so the actual chemical content in milk is always subtly changing."

There may be compounds that are unique or exist in such low concentrations that it's not known how to measure them or what they really are, he said.

Milk from different dairy cow species will also have different compounds, "so unless we were very thorough with characterizing milk from every breed of cow, we would still miss some compounds."

That said, it made sense to create a database, Wishart said.

"Given the importance of milk as a foodstuff and its fundamental importance to our lives, it's important to know what's there."

There's a huge upside to learning as much as possible about a drink that's as common as soda or water, is used in a wide range of dairy products and is a global business worth half a trillion dollars, said Wishart.

"The more we know about these compounds, the more we can potentially improve milk."

The database will be updated continuously, Wishart said.

Ultimately, the researchers hope to set up similar databases for goat and sheep milk as well as wine, beer and marijuana, "to know what we are consuming," he added.

………………………………….


FEED AND NUTRITION

Importance of dairy products in our diet

Dairy products have been an important part of our diet for thousands of years. Milk and other dairy foods are loaded with several nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Regular consumption of these food products offers numerous healthbenefits, including maintaining strong bones and a healthy body. 

The most well-known dairy products are milk, cheese, yoghurt, ice creams, paneer, butter and cream. Such food items in the dairy group offer nutrients like calcium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin B12, riboflavin, zinc, choline, magnesium, selenium, pantothenic acid and niacin. 

Health benefits of dairy products:

Dairy products offer a unique pack of nutritional components that are vital for maintaining a healthy body. Intake of dairy products in adequate amounts can reduce the risk of unhealthy conditions such as heart and colon diseases.

Muscle health

Milk protein contributes to building lean muscle mass. Milk consists of whey and casein proteins that are utilized in health supplements (sold for the growth and maintenance of muscles). The amino acid content present in these proteins contributes to muscle growth and muscle repair, especially after a workout. Casein is slow to digest protein that helps in muscle breakdown. Whey is a fast-acting and quick-absorbing protein that helps gain muscle and lose a significant amount of body fat. It has a higher concentration of leucine, a branched chain of amino acids that stimulate the building of new muscle tissue. Additionally, other nutrients in milk help in retaining body fluids and also assist with rehydration after exercise. 

Bone health

Dairy food products are a great choice for improving bone & teeth health. Protein, vitamin D, and calcium content in dairy play a crucial role in maintaining bone health and density, decreasing osteoporosis risk. The calcium content in milk can be easily absorbed and used by the body, so milk/milk products are one of the best reliable sources of calcium. Bones are constantly in a state of renewal, so building and maintaining them from childhood to elderly age is important. Regular consumption of dairy products increases bone mineral density, which can lead to improved lifelong bone health. 

Heart health 

Consuming low-fat dairy products helps control blood pressure and reduce the risk of diabetes and diseases like coronary heart disease and stroke. People who regularly consume dairy products have a reduced risk of heart diseases. Minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium are essential for maintaining a healthy heart. Potassium, in particular, helps in regulating body fluids and managing blood pressure. 

Digestive health

Cultured foods like yoghurt and kefir are good for gut health. They contain probiotics, which are live microorganisms that can survive in the gastrointestinal tract. Studies suggest that, when consumed in the right amount, these microorganisms provide a wide range of health benefits and also reduce the risk of various diseases. The nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins and fat present in milk act as a protective matrix to help the probiotics survive in the gut. 

Dental health

Nutrition that includes dairy foods helps to keep your teeth healthy. Milk is a healthy drink that can reduce dental cavities and erosions. Milk and milk products contain anti decay nutrients like calcium and phosphorus. Such nutrients have important roles in achieving good dental health. They help to protect the teeth and reduce the risk of tooth decay. 

Other health benefits of dairy products:

Adding a minimum of three serves of dairy products to your diet each day can help you maintain a healthy body weight and reduce the risk of hypertension. 

The riboflavin present in dairy products supports metabolism and the production of red blood cells, whereas vitamin A promotes good vision and healthy skin.

Together, the nutrients in milk and milk products can keep your body healthy, support growth, support brain development & immune functioning, release energy from food, maintain healthy blood pressure and reduce the risk of diseases.


No comments:

Post a Comment