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Hayden McMullin
English 1010
Allison Fernley
April 14, 2014
Milk: The Secret Killer?
I remember it vividly. It was the summer of 2009 and I was sitting in the grass in Prince
Edward Island on the eastern coast of Canada. At that time, I was part of a rugby team
representing the province of British Columbia at the 2009 Canada Summer Games. The Canada
Summer Games is a sporting event based on creating an Olympic experience for the best youth
athletes in the country. So there I was, exhausted after a gruelling game in the hot August sun,
my energy depleted. Almost immediately, the team manager and head trainer came onto the
field, sporting multiple gallons of chocolate milk and paper cups to go along with them. If you
could imagine a pack of lions swarming to devour a gazelle, that was the team swarming to
chocolate milk. There was no thought as to whether the milk was harmful to our bodies, we were
just in dire need of something to put into our bodies. Plus, we had been taught from a young age
both by parents and the media that milk is beneficial to human health. Of recent years however,
there has been what feels like a much stronger push towards health and what makes humans
healthier or on the flip side, unhealthier. Is milk on the healthier or unhealthier side of the coin?
Health care professionals from all over the world have their opinions on the argument.
At that time in my life, I was not concerned with the health problems that consuming
milk could cause. Now however, any possible dietary detriment should be avoided in my adult
years. While growing up, it was almost ground into my mind that milk is what you drink in the
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morning with breakfast and with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Milk, which is produced
by pregnant cows to nourish their calves, must be packed with nutrients. It has to be. The biggest
argument for the pro-milk side is that its nutrition content is highly beneficial for human life,
from production to sustainment. However, following the trends of the day, I have been conflicted
in whether milk was the best drink, or should even be a drink at all. Strong arguments from the
opposing side state that drinking milk is a cause of serious health issues, such as osteoporosis
and heart disease. So with that in mind, got milk?
Benjamin Spock, M.D. "Good Nutrition for Kids." 1998. Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine. 29 March 2014.
In 1998, Pediatrician Benjamin Spocks article titled, Good Nutrition for Kids appeared
in Good Medicine Magazine, where he addresses some of the concerns with providing good
nutrition for kids. He affirms that providing correct nutrition for kids is something that all parents
strive to achieve, but knows that it is a challenge. Kids dont care what they eat and the health
problems that might occur when eating the wrong foods. In an effort to help parents understand
more ways to provide proper nutrition to their children, he wrote this article. He offers that the
most beneficial diet for children and humans in general, is a plant based diet consisting of fruits,
grains, beans and vegetables. In addition, he advises on some foods that should be limited or
avoided. He encourages the limitation of meats, salt, caffeine and oils. Also on his limit list is
dairy, giving guidance on the needed control of dairy in diet. He also advised on controlling the
environment children eat in, giving assistance to how to teach children to behave when eating. A
very good article for new parents or those wanting a refresher.
Dr. Spock was one of the most well respected pediatricians that ever studied pediatrics.
He was the first to study childrens psychoanalysis to understand their needs and family
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dynamics. Being such a respected pediatrician lends credibility to his views and beliefs. His
stance aims his writing towards parents of children, informing them of them of the dos and
donts of child nutrition. Appealing toward the parents gives his argument a stronger appeal,
maybe even his strongest rhetorical strategy. Although he doesnt refer to any specific studies,
being such a respected doctor infers that he has done his research behind the questions at hand.
The one time he refers to some other group is when he talks about the effects of milk,
specifically cows milk. Overall, I dont know that he was contemplating a rhetorical strategy
when he was writing this article, but he does appeal to the emotional values that parents want for
their children.
I think Dr. Spocks article is a valuable piece in the Is milk healthy for humans? debate.
The fact that he is such a well-respected, ground breaking pediatrician gives his words that much
more power. Being someone of such high regards, his words are very credible. Even if his
discussion of avoiding dairy in diets is short and to the point, it is still filled with important
information. His view that milk is unnecessary for the human body, fits right alongside with the
ideals that I entertain.
Mark Hyman, MD. "Got Proof? Lack of Evidence for Milk's Benefits." 11 July 2013. Huffington
Post. 29 March 2014.
Mark Hyman is a practicing physician and wrote Got Proof? Lack of Evidence for
Milks Benefits published by the Huffington Post. In this article, Hyman attacks the idea that
milk is necessary for the survival of humans. His spin off of the Got Milk slogan intrigues the
reader right off the bat. His critical opinion is aimed at the government who still hasnt caught on
with all the publicity against milk. Hyman offers that with the dairy lobby driving the pro-milk
campaigns, its hard to compete against that. He touches on the arguments of sugar in milk, the
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low-fat and non-fat vs full fat debate, and the most debated topic, milk and osteoporosis. He
contends that there is no evidence that humans need milk in their diet, he even says that it is not
the perfect food that it is made out to be. Unless you are a nursing calf that is. Without the proof
that milk is all that the government has made it out to be, he cautions to avoid it!
Mark Hymans article Got Proof? Lack of Evidence for Milks Benefits is full of
rhetorical strategies. To begin, he is a practicing physician and I dont know a physician who
does not stay on top of the newest developments in health and medicine. He references an article
by Harvard nutritional scientists linking milk consumption to poor bone growth, risks of cancer
and weight gain. I dont know about you, but cancer and obesity are not desirable. The
Huffington Post is one of the most read online news sources, so getting published to that website
reaches a larger, broader audience. In a day where Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest are filled with
new and old ideas to live healthier lives, the timing of this article is timed perfectly. Hymans
appeals to logic and emotion are played perfectly together to elicit the desired effects.
Out of all the articles I have read on the is milk healthy for humans debate, this one is
my favorite. I love how Hyman writes, it is logical and backed up on emotion. He writes with a
bit of humor but reinforces it with cold hard facts. I think what I enjoy most about his article
though, is he writes as if someone might try and argue against him right then and there. At least
to me, it feels like he covers all of his bases and doesnt leave many holes for rebuttals.
"Health Concerns about Dairy Products." n.d. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
29 March 2014. <http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/health-concerns-about-dairy-
products>.
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The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine published an article, Health
Concerns about Dairy Products where they address the health concerns most closely associated
with consuming dairy products. For almost everyone in America, the main advertising plug for
milk is the fact that it is healthy for bone structure. They argue that the calcium obtained from
drinking milk is not necessary for bone health, in fact they state that it is possible to attain the
600mg of calcium needed from other sources. Also argued is the fat content in dairy products
and its association with cardiovascular disease. Not to be overlooked in the discussion of serious
health problems is the connection between the dairy and different forms of cancer. The two
major cancers talked about are prostate cancer in males and breast cancer in females. Among the
smaller health concerns are lactose intolerance, hormone and pesticide contaminants, type 1 or
childhood-onset diabetes and obesity in children. Their overwhelming conclusion after the
deliberation was that dairy products and milk specifically are not necessary for a human diet.
They even offer that finding other nutrient dense foods that will meet the nutritional needs of a
body, but without the harm that dairy presents to the body.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a group that was founded in 1985
to promote preventative medicine, specifically good nutrition. Their board of directors consists
of 18 doctors that have a variety of degrees and backgrounds. The article written did not have a
designated author, but did argue against the idea that dairy products are healthy for humans to
consume. Any human would be a target of this analysis, since we all have bodies that need the
same things to survive. The variety of conditions and health issues covered also increased the
size of the potential audience. The author(s) are not in your face with their argument, but simply
state the facts and studies that they researched and referenced. In total, 52 other sources were
referred to, giving the article a lot of credibility. Overall, I believe that the article had an equally
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balanced rhetorical strategy, informative but assertive to their view that milk and dairy products
are not healthy for humans to consume.
I really liked the article that was published by the PCRM. It covered the major health
concerns linked to dairy consumption and provided evidences of the harm that dairy is actually
causing. I particularly enjoyed the way they went about arguing for their stance. As mentioned in
the rhetorical analysis, it wasnt in your face and loud, but more of a subtle presentation. The
quiet voice agrees with my writing style and ideas. I do not know if I agree completely with
some of the stances that they took, but many of the topics covered and evidences agree with my
viewpoint of milk being harmful for humans to consume.
Hope, Jenny. "DRINKING A PINT OF MILK A DAY KEEPS YOUR HEART
HEALTHY." Daily Mail 12 July 2007: 29. Regional Business News. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
Drinking a Pint of Milk a Day Keeps Your Heart Healthy, is an article that examines a
study done at Cardiff University in Wales examining in depth the correlation between consuming
dairy products and an increase in health problems. Jenny Hope, a medical correspondent for the
Daily Mail in the UK, analyzes the 25 year study of men and their health during milk
consumption. According to head researcher Peter Elwood, consuming milk has a positive effect
on the mens health and even lowers the risk of vascular disease such as heart attacks and stroke.
Among the conditions monitored was a metabolic condition that affects many Europeans. In this
study, those who consumed dairy had this condition lowered on average over 50%. A positive
benefit of drinking milk. Elwood even states that there is no doubt in my mind of [its] benefits
(Hope). Essentially, the more dairy you consume, the less chance of vascular disease.
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This article was appealing to those people who avoid consuming milk, specifically to
provide more evidences of the benefits of milk. Although it was mainly an informative article, it
does invite the non-drinkers of milk to consider more research on the controversial topic. Stating
that 1 in 6 men who took part in the study had the metabolic condition monitored, offers those
other who have the same, seemingly common, condition to consider drinking milk. It creates a
sense of belonging and hope, which all people need. The research was done at Cardiff
University, one of the most prestigious research universities in the United Kingdom which
provides added credibility to the article.
Chalk one up for the pro milk debate. This article was a much needed voice for the milk
is healthy for human team. I really like how firm and adamant the head researcher Peter Elwood
was about the falseness of the anti-milk schemes. The evidences surely back him up too. While
cited in the article is the evidences that milk does good in males, I would have liked to see the
statistical research evidence in women provided as well. The decrease in the likeliness of having
vascular disease and the metabolic condition stated is a huge plug for the pro-milk debate. The
25 year length and the large sample size in the study also give a bright shining hope for that side
of the argument. In the battle that seems to be heavily against milk, this article helps build the
pro milk team.
Ben, Spencer. "Gold top! Athletes to get super-milk." Daily Mail 04 Nov. 2013: 11. Regional
Business News. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
The article, Gold top! Athletes to get super-milk, written by Ben Spencer, was published
in the Daily Mail in November of 2013. With the upcoming 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, British scientists have begun early looking for an edge to combat the poor air
pollution. Rio currently has an air pollution that is worse than big cities like London, Paris and
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New York. The studies being conducted are looking to bovine colostrum for a possible immune
system boost. Bovine colostrum is the raw milk that is produced in the first 48 hours after a cow
gives birth. It contains necessary nutrients to sufficiently bolster the newborn calf, so
experiments are being conducted to test its effectiveness in preventing pollution damage to
human lungs. If the research proves to be successful, they hope to spread their research to
include the working class that makes their living in these circumstances (i.e. Taxi and bus
drivers). While this research is new to the world of sports, bovine colostrum has been around for
centuries being cited in folklore medicine as well as in other locations around the world.
This article was written in Britain for the British supporters. Great Britain is a society that
is highly invested in sport, especially summer sports. The Brits are to their soccer as Canadians
are to their hockey and Americans are to their Basketball, diehard through and through. So to a
population that wants to be the best in the summer Olympics, I believe this article is spot on. It
appeals to any supporter of the Great Britain Olympic team. It even extends its reach to the non-
sports oriented people as well, giving hope that if the research about the bovine colostrum is
successful it could benefit the working class citizens as well. Overall it was an informative piece
of writing and didnt try to persuade one way or the other.
I think that this is a very interesting article. In the middle of the Is milk healthy debate,
research is going on to look for different ways milk might be beneficial. I think it voices
potentially good evidence that milk might have healthy benefits if the research turns out to be
positive. As for the milk conflict, I dont know that it persuades either way for or against
consumption. Without the results of the study, it is hard to say it helps or hurts. However it does
spark intrigue and interest on the milk is healthy team.
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With so much information both old and new, it is difficult to decide for ones self what
the outcome of the is milk healthy for humans? debate. The five articles discussed present a
wide array of viewpoints and opinions, all of which are completely valid. While it is challenging
to completely align with either side, I am swayed more against the consumption of milk. If you
think about it logically, humans are the only mammals (besides abandoned cats) that continue to
drink milk of another mammal after the weaning stages of child development. There has to be
some sort of biological reasoning behind that. The evidences provided by the opposing milk side
back up this view point, even without saying it. I do, however, believe that milk does provide
benefits for children who still need the benefits of milks nutrients. Premature babies often need
the supplemental nutrients that milk provides long after the weaning stage has concluded.
Overall, I would say that I am against milk, but with one foot still hanging behind in the pro milk
court.