How healthy is cow’s milk compared to soy, oat and almond alternatives?
Do you drink oat or soy milk? Or are you partial to a glass of good old-fashioned cow’s milk? A look at the science reveals how healthy cow’s milk really is and which alternatives to go for.
As the saying goes, there’s no use crying over spilled milk. It’s a sage piece of advice – and one that could’ve saved the «Tiroler Landwirtschaftskammer» (Tyrol Chamber of Agriculture) a lot of grief. Three years after its actual release, an advert promoting the region of Tyrol has provoked a sudden furore. The ad features a horned, mythical creature known in Austrian folklore as Krampus (who, in this case, happens to be named Sven). When he pitches up to order a latte macchiato, he asks for oat milk instead of cow’s milk. Basically, an attack on two Tyrolean cultural assets: cow’s milk and Krampus. In Austria, Krampus is St Nicholas’ assistant and counterpart, arriving on 5 December to dish out punishments to naughty children. Incidentally, there’s an annual event held in Tyrol known as the «Perchtenlauf», where men dressed as Krampus run around hitting people. Apparently, this is less shocking to the authorities than the thought of Krampus taking oatmilk in his latte. But let’s get back on topic.
As the Tyrolean scandal now being dubbed «oat milk gate» goes to show, milk generates heated, emotional discussions. The pro-milk side see it as a protein-packed superfood, while opponents say it causes a number of cancers. One thing, however, is clear from looking at the scientific research: milk isn’t a black-and-white issue.
Heads-up: this article is explicitly NOT about ecology, climate or animal welfare. Instead, it weighs up the health benefits and risks of drinking milk.
Milk: a natural product?
People are giving up cow’s milk in ever increasing numbers. In Germany, for example, 27 per cent of survey respondents regularly opt for alternatives made from oats, soy, almonds or other plant bases. Then again, we have a long history with milk. We’ve been drinking it for about 10,000 years – pretty much since humans domesticated animals i.e. since we started breeding them for our own purposes. During colder seasons especially, it offered Europeans a significant selection advantage. Plant-based food was scarce, while milk was immensely nutritious. Little wonder, given that milk apparently boosts the weight of a newborn calf from 40 to 200 kilogrammes within the space of a few months.
Now that we’re no longer plagued by famines, it’s debatable whether cow’s milk is natural to drink in adulthood. In many parts of the world, adult humans are deficient in lactase, the enzyme necessary for breaking down lactose, the sugar present in milk. In fact, around 75 per cent of adults worldwide are lactose-intolerant because of this.
The journey milk takes from cow to morning coffee is also pretty far removed from nature these days. By the time your milk gets to you, it’s already been processed in several ways, including pasteurisation and homogenisation in order to preserve it. This causes numerous vitamins in the milk to get lost, once again hitting home that the description of milk as a «natural product» isn’t as apt as it was 10,000 years ago.
Healthy gut flora: does milk protect against cancer?
From a health perspective, however, there’s much to be said for cow’s milk. With 400 different fatty acids and almost all essential amino acids, milk provides high-quality proteins and a unique source of nutrients for the human body. It also provides iodine, magnesium and more calcium than any other food.
Cow’s milk, especially yogurt made from it, also makes the gut flora healthier and more diverse. As a result of this, milk is considered to be a prophylactic for colon cancer. A study published in Annals of Oncology demonstrated that one glass of milk per day (200 millilitres) is enough for this preventative effect to occur.
The reason? The calcium contained in milk. In a study published in the International Journal of Cancer, researchers concluded that 300 milligrammes of calcium a day reduced the risk of developing colorectal cancer by eight per cent.
The flipside of this: the very calcium that lowers our risk of colon cancer increases the risk of developing prostate cancer by 32 per cent. Researchers writing in the British Journal of Cancer discovered this, with a later study published in the Journal of Nutrition underscoring their findings. However, the research team did introduce one caveat: the increased cancer risk only occurs after drinking at least 1.25 litres of milk per day.
It’s also debateable that these results can be solely attributed to drinking a lot of milk. Participants who drank less milk and ate less meat also smoked less often and exercised more. These «confounding factors» are known to reduce someone’s general risk of developing cancer, and are likely to have played a part in this study too.
Milk for strong bones: can the white stuff help with osteoporosis?
Because milk is a good source of calcium, we associate it with strong bones. If that were true, however, people in Germany, Austria and Switzerland would have bones of steel. In reality, a sizeable number of people suffer from osteoporosis (bone loss) in these countries. This could potentially be down to geography. If it’s to increase bone density, calcium needs vitamin D – something people living in Central Europe often lack, especially in winter.
A prominent Swedish study, however, came to a different conclusion. Researchers stated that it wasn’t just low vitamin D levels contributing to the risk of osteoporosis and even death, but high milk consumption in itself. They went on to attribute these results to oxidative stress in the cells and increased inflammation levels.
Again, however, there’s a caveat: it’s unclear whether the heightened risk of mortality was down to increased milk consumption alone, or other factors such as lower incomes or unhealthy lifestyles. A Harvard study of 43,000 men was at least able to bring some balance to the claim that drinking milk increases your risk of osteoporosis. In fact, the study concluded there was no evidence for it.
The only thing scientists can agree on is that there’s hardly any consensus on whether milk is healthy or unhealthy. Amid the sea of contradicting results, we’re left with one familiar conclusion: everything in moderation.
Switching to plant-based milk
If you can’t do without milk in your coffee, there are all kinds of plant-based alternatives. They’re reportedly much healthier, too. And speaking of coffee, drinking it with cow’s milk apparently negates its health benefits.
Returning to my initial question, does not drinking cow’s milk make you healthier?
Soy milk: low in calories, rich in protein
Soy milk was one of the first plant-based milk substitutes on the market. As it’s obtained from soybeans, it’s very rich in protein.
For a long time, concerns were raised over the isoflavones contained in soy milk due to their considerable similarity to the female sex hormone estrogen. It’s now been established by studies, such as this one in the Journal of Gynecologic Endocrinology, that the compound actually helps with menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis.
Impressively, soy milk contains half the calories per unit compared to cow’s milk. It also has a slightly bitter taste. Since it’s super high in protein, it foams well and is good for coffee and baking.
Oat milk: lots of fibre, lots of sugar
Oat milk has become one of the most popular milk alternatives, not least thanks to the Swedish company Oatly. Like it’s soy counterpart, it also offers certain health benefits. Packed with fibre, it’s been proven to help digestion. What’s more, oat milk is low fat and low cholesterol. As a result of its sweet taste, oat milk is particularly well suited to desserts such as rice pudding.
It is, however, high in sugar. Between three and six grammes per 100 millilitres, to be precise. That’s about 18 sugar cubes per litre. Mind you, cow’s milk isn’t much better; it contains five grammes of sugar per 100 millilitres. Though this isn’t an issue for healthy people, those with diabetes or coeliac disease (gluten intolerance) should steer clear of oat milk.
Almond milk: low in calories, low in nutrients
Almond milk is another popular cow’s milk alternative. It’s easy to digest, as it’s composed almost exclusively of water. In fact, it only contains seven per cent almonds. Though this brings its calorie count to just 22 per 100 millilitres, it contains little in the way of nutrients. Calcium or vitamin B12, for example, are often added artificially by manufacturers.
While almond milk might make a pretty unappetising accompaniment to coffee, it’s good for baking or for adding to your morning bowl of cereal as a low-calorie alternative to cow’s milk.
Coconut milk: rich in nutrients
Coconut milk is one of the longest established milk alternatives. It’s also the only one legally allowed to be called «milk». As the term is otherwise reserved for animal milk only, oat, almond and soy varieties need to be given the suffix «drink». It’s one of the most calorie-dense – but also nutrient-dense – varieties, with 197 calories per 100 millilitres and a 20 per cent fat content. It also naturally contains potassium, iron, sodium and magnesium.
Because coconut milk is so rich, it lends itself especially well to cooking, making a common addition to curries or desserts. When it comes to coffee, coconut milk is seriously heavy and resembles thick cream. Not only that, but it’s intensely coconutty flavour is very prominent.
Potato milk: the new kid on the block
This spring, potato milk hit the shelves in Switzerland. It’s still unclear whether it has health-promoting or harmful properties. It does score a few brownie points, however, in terms of taste. The Galaxus Editorial Team demonstrated as much earlier this year:
Milk alternatives: the healthier choice?
There are plenty of milk alternatives on the market, and various reasons why to buy them. If you’re one of the 75 per cent of the world’s population who can’t tolerate lactose, for instance. Plant-based drinks are often easier to digest than cow’s milk, but they can hardly compete in terms of nutrients. Soy milk, for example, contains only a fifth of the calcium. Meanwhile, other vitamins such as B12 need to be added artificially by manufacturers. Because many plant-based drinks largely consist of water, sugar is often added to improve the taste.
Your body also breaks down animal protein more easily. That’s because unlike plant proteins, it has all the necessary building blocks (amino acids). Studies have shown this difference isn’t significant on a day-to-day basis, for example when it comes to building muscle muscle.
Generally, the less processed the foodstuff, the better. And the same thing applies to cow’s milk. Making your own milk substitute at home using oats, soy or almonds is also a good idea.
As for everyone else, here’s what we can take from the science. If you don’t have any intolerances and you’re consuming milk in moderation, it won’t make much difference to your health whether you take cow’s milk or oat milk in your latte macchiato. One less thing for Krampus Sven and the region of Tyrol to worry about.
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Olivia Leimpeters-Leth
Autorin von customize mediahouse
oliver.fischer@digitecgalaxus.chI'm a sucker for flowery turns of phrase and allegorical language. Clever metaphors are my Kryptonite – even if, sometimes, it's better to just get to the point. Everything I write is edited by my cat, which I reckon is more «pet humanisation» than metaphor. When I'm not at my desk, I enjoy going hiking, taking part in fireside jamming sessions, dragging my exhausted body out to do some sport and hitting the occasional party.
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