Why can't babies drink milk? Can't babies drink milk on an empty stomach?

According to the Academy of Pediatrics, babies under 12 months old should drink breast milk or infant formula, not cow's milk. So, is cow's milk dangerous for little ones?

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Breast milk is produced specifically for human babies, while cow's milk is actually produced for calves. As a result, cow's milk contains proteins that are difficult for babies to digest and lacks key vitamins and minerals, such as iron, that babies need to develop. Although infant formula is made from cow's milk, manufacturers remove the protein and modify it before adding it into the formula along with other essential ingredients. The final infant formula is completely different from the cow's milk you usually drink.

A baby's gut, kidneys, and immune system need time to mature before they can safely tolerate new types and amounts of proteins found in cow's milk. The high concentrations of proteins and minerals found in cow's milk can stress a newborn's immature kidneys and cause serious illness in times of heat stress, fever, or diarrhea. That's why we strongly recommend avoiding cow's milk during a child's first year of life. While the vast majority of babies over 6 months old can drink cow's milk, this foreign protein can cause inflammation through allergic reactions in some babies.

This allergic reaction can cause inflammation of the baby's intestines or micro-bleeding in the intestinal lining, and the lack of iron in the milk can cause anemia. Overall, this can cause the baby to become unwell or have poor development.

Can colostrum improve children's immunity? The Beijing News article "It is forbidden to add colostrum to infant food" introduced that colostrum is very rare. How much of the so-called colostrum in industrial production is real colostrum? Even if it is colostrum, it is unclear whether the cows themselves have eaten antibiotics or hormones. All formula milks that are strictly close to the nutritional elements of breast milk cannot simulate the immune factors in human breast milk, and the immune factors in colostrum cannot meet the needs of human babies. It is difficult to say that long-term use of colostrum improves children's immunity, even if the nutritional elements such as calories can guarantee the growth and development needs of human babies. "In the United States, it is illegal to let children under one year old drink fresh milk."

There is not enough evidence to prove that bovine colostrum can enhance the immunity of normal infants and young children. Both bovine colostrum and human colostrum do contain immunoglobulins, and the protein and immune protein content of bovine colostrum is indeed much higher than that of human colostrum.

When a child is still an infant, breast milk or formula is sufficient to provide them with adequate nutrition. If the child is still sick or not growing well, it is for other reasons and has nothing to do with what he eats. Supplementing with colostrum or any "baby supplements" will not help his health, but may bring other uncertain risks.

What nutrients are there in colostrum? In 2017, Gu Chuanling, a national registered nutritionist, wrote in her personal self-media platform, "Can supplementing children with colostrum really improve their immunity?" that colostrum contains a large amount of immunoglobulins (especially IgG), rich proteins and growth factors, and the content of these substances is much higher than that of human colostrum. Therefore, colostrum is indeed a rare good thing for newborn calves.

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So the question is: Can milk really enhance human immunity? The answer is: NO!

The reason is: although the protein and immune protein content of bovine colostrum are much higher than that of human colostrum, the immunoglobulins in bovine colostrum are different from those in human colostrum - the immunoglobulins in bovine colostrum are mainly G (IgG), while the immunoglobulins in humans are mainly A (IgA).

In other words, the immunoglobulins in bovine colostrum are used to immunize cows against diseases that are easy to get, and they have little effect on improving human immunity.

Zhu Yi, associate professor of the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University, said in his 2015 article “Re-investigation of the Myth of Bovine Colostrum Immunity” that colostrum is advertised to contain IgG immunoglobulins, but the immune spectrum of humans and cows is different. The gastrointestinal wall of infants is particularly thin, and IgG proteins are relatively large, which can easily cause allergies.

Don’t believe these rumors about drinking milk ! Can’t drink milk on an empty stomach?

Can!

For people with normal digestive tract function and no lactose intolerance, it is fine to drink milk on an empty stomach.

People who are lactose intolerant are more likely to experience discomfort such as bloating and diarrhea when drinking milk on an empty stomach.

Drinking milk on an empty stomach will cause diarrhea

In many cases, the discomfort after drinking milk is not due to fasting, but lactose intolerance.

Most people never drink milk after weaning as children, and they don't form the habit of "a glass of milk a day" as adults. If you drink it occasionally, even if you are not on an empty stomach, you may experience symptoms of lactose intolerance such as bloating and diarrhea.

There is lactase in the human intestine. From children to adults, the lactase level will continue to decrease. Those who do not drink milk continuously will decrease faster and more. If you drink milk suddenly, because there is not enough enzyme to break down lactose in time, sugar may remain in the intestines and cause hypertonicity. Because of the increase in fluid, diarrhea will occur.

Can milk relieve spiciness and hangover?

Milk can relieve spiciness, and whole milk is better.

The spicy ingredient in chili peppers is capsaicin, which is a lipophilic substance. The fat in milk can combine with capsaicin. In addition, the large amount of casein in milk can also effectively relieve the spiciness.

But no milk has the effect of sobering up.

Do you need to drink more milk to grow taller?

Both calcium and vitamin D are related to growth and development.

Milk is a rich source of calcium. To meet the needs of bone growth, preschool children are recommended to drink 300-400 ml of milk or equivalent dairy products every day. Children should drink at least 300 ml of milk or dairy products every day to ensure that the calcium intake reaches an appropriate level. At the same time, they should also pay attention to supplementing vitamin D (recommended amount: 10ug per day).

In fact, the most economical and effective way to promote calcium absorption and supplement vitamin D is to get more sun exposure.

The article is compiled from:

Live Science "Why can't babies drink cow's milk?"

Health Times: "Restricted twice in 6 years, infants and young children drinking colostrum is a marketing tactic!"

Public Health and Preventive Medicine "Can't drink milk on an empty stomach? This rumor has been around for so long, let's hear what the experts say"

Chengdu Business Daily Sichuan Famous Doctor "Drinking milk, 6 truths to know! At these times, these types of people are best not to drink it! Otherwise, the body will not agree"

Source: Chongqing Tianji Network Co., Ltd.

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