Blir man verkligen stark av mjölk?

När jag var liten fick jag lära mig att man blir stark av att dricka mjölk. Jag fick lära mig att kalciumet i mjölket stärkte skelettet i kroppen. Det finns även experter som råder kvinnor att inta extra kalcium för att förebygga benskörhet. Men är mjölkprodukter verkligen bra för kroppen?

"As a prime source of calcium, dairy products have been enlisted to fight the so-called calcium emergency that is threatening American bones. Only there isn't a calcium emergency. Americans get more calcium than the residents of almost every other country except Holland and the Scandinavian countries. And despite plenty of urgent public service announcements, there is little evidence that getting high amounts of calcium prevents broken bones in old age. Further complicating the issue are some studies suggesting that drinking or eating a lot of dairy products may increase a woman's chances of developing ovarian cancer or a man's chances of developing prostate cancer.

If you need extra calcium, there are cheaper, easier, and healthier ways to get it than dairy products. Whole-milk dairy products are loaded with the kind of saturated fat that is most powerful at raising cholesterol levels. One percent and skim milk are clearly better choices. Spinach, broccoli, tofu, and calcium fortified orange juice and breakfast cereals are good sources of calcium and have other advantages - they are lower in unhealthy fat than most dairy products and they give you many extra nutrients." M.D., Walter Willett - Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating