A Positive Association Between Dietary Intake of Higher Cow's Milk-Fat Percentage and Non-High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in Young Children.
Wong VCH, Maguire JL, Omand JA, Dai DWH, Lebovic G, Parkin PC, O'Connor DL, Birken CS; TARGet Kids! Collaboration.
J Pediatr. 2019 Aug;211:105-111.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.03.047.

Cow's Milk Consumption and Health: A Health Professional's Guide.
Marangoni F, Pellegrino L, Verduci E, Ghiselli A, Bernabei R, Calvani R, Cetin I, Giampietro M, Perticone F, Piretta L, Giacco R, La Vecchia C, Brandi ML, Ballardini D, Banderali G, Bellentani S, Canzone G, Cricelli C, Faggiano P, Ferrara N, Flachi E, Gonnelli S, Macca C, Magni P, Marelli G, Marrocco W, Miniello VL, Origo C, Pietrantonio F, Silvestri P, Stella R, Strazzullo P, Troiano E, Poli A.
J Am Coll Nutr. 2019 Mar-Apr;38(3):197-208. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2018.1491016.

Impact of cow's milk intake on exercise performance and recovery of muscle function: a systematic review.
Alcantara JMA, Sanchez-Delgado G, Martinez-Tellez B, Labayen I, Ruiz JR.
J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2019 May 6;16(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s12970-019-0288-5.

Chemical Composition of Commercial Cow's Milk.
Foroutan A, Guo AC, Vazquez-Fresno R, Lipfert M, Zhang L, Zheng J, Badran H, Budinski Z, Mandal R, Ametaj BN, Wishart DS.
J Agric Food Chem. 2019 May 1;67(17):4897-4914. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.9b00204.

Fatty Acid Profiles of Cow's Milk and Cheese as Affected by Mountain Pasture Type and Concentrate Supplementation.
Corazzin M, Romanzin A, Sepulcri A, Pinosa M, Piasentier E, Bovolenta S.
Animals (Basel). 2019 Feb 22;9(2). pii: E68. doi: 10.3390/ani9020068.

Reduced Final Height and Inadequate Nutritional Intake in Cow's Milk-Allergic Young Adults.
Sinai T, Goldberg MR, Nachshon L, Amitzur-Levy R, Yichie T, Katz Y, Monsonego-Ornan E, Elizur A.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2019 Feb;7(2):509-515. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2018.11.038

Milk and dairy products: good or bad for human health? An assessment of the totality of scientific evidence.
Thorning TK, Raben A, Tholstrup T, Soedamah-Muthu SS, Givens I, Astrup A.
Food Nutr Res. 2016 Nov 22;60:32527. doi: 10.3402/fnr.v60.32527

Fractures during growth: potential role of a milk-free diet.
Konstantynowicz J, Nguyen TV, Kaczmarski M, Jamiolkowski J, Piotrowska-Jastrzebska J, Seeman E.
Osteoporos Int. 2007 Dec;18(12):1601-7.

Osteoporosis: Is milk a kindness or a curse?
Fardellone P, Séjourné A, Blain H, Cortet B, Thomas T; GRIO Scientific Committee.
Joint Bone Spine. 2017 May;84(3):275-281. doi: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2016.06.006.

Bone mineral density in postmenopausal Chinese women treated with calcium fortification in soymilk and cow's milk.
Gui JC, Brašić JR, Liu XD, Gong GY, Zhang GM, Liu CJ, Gao GQ.
Osteoporos Int. 2012 May;23(5):1563-70. doi: 10.1007/s00198-012-1895-z

Dietary Treatment with Extensively Hydrolyzed Casein Formula Containing the Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Prevents the Occurrence of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Children with Cow's Milk Allergy.
Nocerino R, Di Costanzo M, Bedogni G, Cosenza L, Maddalena Y, Di Scala C, Della Gatta G, Carucci L, Voto L, Coppola S, Iannicelli AM, Berni Canani R.
J Pediatr. 2019 Jul 18. pii: S0022-3476(19)30698-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.06.004.

Oral immunotherapy with antigenicity-modified casein induces desensitization in cow's milk allergy.
Kawamoto N, Kaneko H, Kawamoto M, Ohnishi H, Matsui E, Teramoto T, Kato Z, Fukao T, Ueno HM, Nakano T, Kondo N.
Allergy. 2019 Jul 2. doi: 10.1111/all.13965.

Cow's Milk Allergy: Immunomodulation by Dietary Intervention.
D'Auria E, Salvatore S, Pozzi E, Mantegazza C, Sartorio MUA, Pensabene L, Baldassarre ME, Agosti M, Vandenplas Y, Zuccotti G.
Nutrients. 2019 Jun 21;11(6). pii: E1399. doi: 10.3390/nu11061399. Review.

Probiotics for cow's milk protein allergy: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Qamer S, Deshmukh M, Patole S.
Eur J Pediatr. 2019 Aug;178(8):1139-1149. doi: 10.1007/s00431-019-03397-6.

Assessment of Cow's milk-related symptom scores in early identification of cow's milk protein allergy in Chinese infants.
Zeng Y, Zhang J, Dong G, Liu P, Xiao F, Li W, Wang L, Wu Q.
BMC Pediatr. 2019 Jun 10;19(1):191. doi: 10.1186/s12887-019-1563-y.

Nutritional status and food intake of children with cow's milk allergy.
Boaventura RM, Mendonça RB, Fonseca FA, Mallozi M, Souza FS, Sarni ROS.
Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2019 Jun 2. pii: S0301-0546(19)30048-5. doi: 10.1016/j.aller.2019.03.003.

Factors Associated with the Development of Immune Tolerance in Children with Cow's Milk Allergy.
Sánchez-Valverde F, Etayo V, Gil F, Aznal E, Martínez D, Amézqueta A, Mendizábal M, Galbete A, Pastor N, Vanderhoof J.
Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2019 May 16:1-7. doi: 10.1159/000499319.

Epidemiology of Cow's Milk Allergy.
Flom JD, Sicherer SH.
Nutrients. 2019 May 10;11(5). pii: E1051. doi: 10.3390/nu11051051. Review.

Early oral immunotherapy in infants with cow's milk protein allergy.
Berti I, Badina L, Cozzi G, Giangreco M, Bibalo C, Ronfani L, Barbi E, Ventura A, Longo G.
Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2019 Aug;30(5):572-574. doi: 10.1111/pai.13057. Epub 2019 May 3.

Clinical features of cow's milk protein allergy in infants presenting mainly with gastrointestinal symptoms: an analysis of 280 cases.
Yang QH, Zheng BS, Zhou SM, Dai DL.
Zhongguo Dang Dai Er Ke Za Zhi. 2019 Mar;21(3):271-276

Allergic reactions to cow's milk proteins in medications in childhood.
Santoro A, Andreozzi L, Ricci G, Mastrorilli C, Caffarelli C.
Acta Biomed. 2019 Jan 29;90(3-S):91-93. doi: 10.23750/abm.v90i3-S.8169.

Allergenicity reduction of cow's milk proteins using latex peptidases.
Oliveira JPB, Candreva AM, Rizzo G, Ramos MV, Oliveira JS, Oliveira HD, Ary MB, Docena G, Freitas CDT.
Food Chem. 2019 Jun 30;284:245-253. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.01.123.

Successful oral desensitization in children with cow's milk anaphylaxis: Clinical and laboratory evaluation up to nine-years follow-up.
Alves-Correia M, Gaspar Â, Borrego LM, Azevedo J, Martins C, Morais-Almeida M.
Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2019 Mar - Apr;47(2):133-140. doi: 10.1016/j.aller.2018.07.007.

Raw cow's milk consumption and allergic diseases - The potential role of bioactive whey proteins.
Abbring S, Hols G, Garssen J, van Esch BCAM.
Eur J Pharmacol. 2019 Jan 15;843:55-65. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2018.11.013.

Cow's Milk Protein Allergy in Infancy: A Risk Factor for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Children?
Pensabene L, Salvatore S, D'Auria E, Parisi F, Concolino D, Borrelli O, Thapar N, Staiano A, Vandenplas Y, Saps M.
Nutrients. 2018 Nov 9;10(11). pii: E1716. doi: 10.3390/nu10111716. Review.

Fresh whole milk is the most common form of milk.

Milk is a nutrient-rich liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It serves as the primary source of nutrition for infant mammals before they are able to digest solid food. Milk is composed of water, fat, proteins, lactose (milk sugar), minerals, vitamins, and enzymes.

Production

• Milking. Modern dairies use automated milking machines to extract milk from cows, goats, or other milk-producing animals.
• Pasteurization. To ensure that milk is safe for consumption, it is heated to a specific temperature for a set period to kill harmful bacteria. This process is called pasteurization.
• Homogenization. This is a process that breaks down fat molecules in milk so that they stay integrated rather than separating as cream. It gives milk a uniform consistency.
• Packaging. Once processed, milk is packaged in bottles, cartons, or bags and is ready for distribution.

Benefits

Nutritional Value. Milk is a rich source of essential nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins A and D.

Bone Health. The calcium and vitamin D in milk are crucial for bone health and can help prevent osteoporosis.

Muscle Growth. Milk is a good source of protein, which is essential for muscle growth and repair.

Hydration. Being primarily composed of water, milk helps in hydration.

Digestive Health Some fermented milk products, like yogurt, contain probiotics that can benefit digestive health.

Other Points

Lactose Intolerance. Some people cannot digest lactose, the sugar in milk, due to a deficiency in the enzyme lactase. They may experience digestive discomfort after consuming milk or milk products.

Varieties. There are various types of milk available in the market, including whole milk, skimmed milk, 2% milk, lactose-free milk, and plant-based alternatives like almond, soy, and oat milk.

Uses. Apart from direct consumption, milk is used to produce a variety of products like cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and many baked goods.

Milk has been a staple in human diets for thousands of years and continues to be valued for its nutritional benefits and versatility in cooking and baking.

Cow's milk is used in many applications:

• uman nutrition
• animal nutrition
• food industry
• cosmetics
• medicine

With regard to  human nutrition, cow's milk is treated industrially with the pasteurization process to destroy pathogenic bacteria that can cause risks to human health.

We find it on the market as:

• Fresh whole milk 67 kcal/100g

pasteurized within 48 hours of milking

• Fresh pasteurized whole milk 67 kcal/100g

pasteurized several times after 48 hours of milking

• Skim milk 38 kcal/100g

degreased

• Partially skimmed milk 48 kcal/100g

Partially degreased

• ESL milk

microfiltered

• UHT milk

homogenized and preheated to 135 degrees

The industry uses cow’s milk mainly in these forms:

• Milk powder

dehydrated

• Whole milk powder

dehydrated

• Skim milk powder

dehydrated

• Dehydrated skim milk

dehydrated

• Rehydrated skim milk

dehydrated and subsequently rehydrated

The most natural form of cow's milk is raw milk, directly harvested after milking, which must be immediately stored in the refrigerator and drunk only after boiling to eliminate microbiological risks.

The advantages (for those who are not allergic) of cow's milk are manifold as cow's milk is a source of carbohydrates, calcium, proteins and other interesting nutrients that can lead to an increase in the concentration of amino acids resulting in improved muscle function (1).

Consumption of 500 mL milk attenuated losses in muscle function following repeated sprinting and jumping and thus may be a valuable recovery intervention for female team-sport athletes following this type of exercise (2).

Milk consumption on bone and fracture incidence: studies on the effects of milk or whey extracts show positive effects on bone health or risk of hip fracture. Nevertheless a few contradictory epidemiological studies showed an increased risk of hip fractures in subjects drinking higher quantities of milk (3).

Rural life is considered a promising system against asthma and allergies. Although this associative mechanism has not been fully clarified, this study presents an up-to-date under standing of the protective effect of raw milk on allergies and asthma (4).

Cow's milk studies

Cow's milk allergy studies

References____________________________________________________

(1) Lawlor MJ, Hills FA, Bell PG, Stevenson EJ, Cockburn E. The effect of milk on recovery from repeat-sprint cycling in female team-sport athletes.  Rankin P,   Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2018 Feb;43(2):113-122. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2017-0275.

(2) Rankin P, Landy A, Stevenson E, Cockburn E.  Milk: An Effective Recovery Drink for Female Athletes.  Nutrients. 2018 Feb 17;10(2). pii: E228. doi: 10.3390/nu10020228.

(3) Fardellone P. The effect of milk consumption on bone and fracture incidence, an update.   Aging Clin Exp Res. 2019 Jun;31(6):759-764. doi: 10.1007/s40520-019-01192-9.

(4) Sozańska B.   Raw Cow's Milk and Its Protective Effect on Allergies and Asthma.  Nutrients. 2019 Feb 22;11(2). pii: E469. doi: 10.3390/nu11020469. Review.

(5) World Allergy Organization (WAO) Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow's Milk Allergy (DRACMA) Guidelines  Alessandro Fiocchi, (Chair), Jan Brozek, Holger Schünemann, (Chair), Sami L. Bahna, Andrea von Berg, Kirsten Beyer, Martin Bozzola, Julia Bradsher, Enrico Compalati, Motohiro Ebisawa, Maria Antonieta Guzman, Haiqi Li, Ralf G. Heine, Paul Keith, Gideon Lack, Massimo Landi, Alberto Martelli, Fabienne Rancé, Hugh Sampson, Airton Stein, Luigi Terracciano, and Stefan Vieths  World Allergy Organ J. 2010 Apr; 3(4): 57–161.  10.1097/WOX.0b013e3181defeb9