Prof. Jashbhai B. Prajapati
Chairman, Indian Dairy Association (West Zone), Mumbai
Ex. Chairman, Verghese Kurien Centre of Excellence, IRMA
Ex. Principal & Dean, SMC College of Dairy Science, AAU, Anand-
News Delhi: The basic role of the food is to provide nutrition to the body for the sustenance and growth, but those foods that provide something beyond nutrition are called as functional foods. Milk is a natural functional food known to have several health benefits since ages. A range of functional dairy foods, especially fermented and probiotics have additional advantage of helping the gut flora and keeping you healthy. Dairy based foods can be a very good tool to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2, as it offers a great potential to tackle the problem of malnutrition and food security, especially in developing countries of Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Milk is a natural lacteal secretion and is a treasure of easily assimilable nutrients. Its unique nutrients and their presence in a particular matrix, make milk a super food. We must know that milk sugar is different than other sugars, saturated fat in milk is also different and the milk proteins are much superior than any other proteins. When fermented by beneficial lactic acid bacteria and probiotics, the milk lactose, protein and fat produce another set of biological products that are not only nutritious, but conferring special health benefits. Thus, the nutritional targets are achieved even by lesser quantity of supplementation of functional dairy foods in routine diet.
Milk fat has high content of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) which exhibit various regulatory and signalling functions. The most characteristic fatty acids for bovine milk fat are conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and butyrate. CLA is known to have several therapeutic benefits. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid essential for brain development during pregnancy and early childhood. In milk, fat globules are covered with membrane (MFGM). The MFGM components such as sphingomyelin and gangliosides, improves the cognitive score of infants apart from nutraceutical properties like anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, inhibitor of Helicobacter pylori, anti-inflammatory, anticholesterolemic, etc
Milk contains 3 to 4% protein, which comprise of 80% casein and 20% whey proteins, mainly α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin. Milk proteins contain all nine essential amino acids, while most plant proteins are incomplete, as they are missing at least one or more of the essential amino acids. Hence dairy in diet is essential for nutritional security of large lacto-vegetarian population. Whey proteins of milk, contain branched chain amino acids which are very useful for building muscle. Milk proteins produce biologically active peptides which are proved to have antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antihypertensive, immunostimulatory, antimicrobial and other properties. It contains high tryptophan content which is precursor of serotonin, important for sleep and control of anxiety. Milk proteins possess the greatest potential to provide satiety signals.
Lactose is a unique sugar present only in milk, which has glucose and galactose. Galactose is required in synthesis of gangliosides which are component of glycolipid. This glycolipid is essential in formation of brain tissues. Lactose also increases absorption of minerals like calcium, magnesium & zinc. Lactose has Lower glycaemic index (46) as compared to sucrose (66). Lactose and lactulose have conditional prebiotic effect to support health gut flora.
Milk is an important source of micronutrients including thiamin, vitamin B6 and zinc that work in concert with other B vitamins like pantothenic acid to help convert your food into energy and magnesium, which also helps to build strong bones. Plus, milk has selenium, which works with vitamin A to help maintain a healthy immune system. The major milk mineral is Calcium, which is more easily absorbed than any other source. Ca and P in the diet helps build and maintain strong bones. Lactose and Vitamin D play a role in enhancing calcium absorption. There are several health benefits of milk, which are experienced by mankind from centuries. Some of them are now clinically proved by conducting systematic studies across the globe. Dairy is now scientifically confirmed to be beneficial in muscle and bone repairs, skin care, heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, digestive ailments, depression, immunity development and many more aliments.
New research is unfolding now. Many scientists including the group of Dr V Mohan, a renowned diabetologists of India, have shown that the demonisation of milk on health grounds has been a gross exaggeration. Milk, scientists point out, has many beneficial effects on humans. A host of new studies including several research publicatio of our own shows that most dairy products, especially cow milk and yogurt, are linked to lower incidence of diabetes,
hypertension and metabolic syndrome. The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study and The Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiology Study (CURES) also showed that dairy & milk protect against diabetes & hypertension & metabolic syndrome. The PURE study is a massive international study done on over 130,000 individuals in 21 countries across 5 continents and I was involved in this study almost from its inception. This study showed that dairy is linked to lower rates of heart disease and death. Moreover, the type of dairy—high-fat or low-fat—did not matter. The study results were consistent and stands vindicated in regions of the world where dairy consumption is high as well as in regions where it is low.
Most of the scientific studies concluded that intake of dairy is associated with lower mortality, lower cardiovascular disease, lower cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality and this was published in the Lancet by Dr Mohan’s group. The findings were replicated in all regions of the world, both in the places where dairy consumption was high as well as where consumption was low.
The ancient experience and modern science depict the same results, that the milk is the elixir of life and its consumption is beneficial in all age group people. Milk is the only natural food, that is the most cost-effective nutrient dense food available to mankind. Let us promote it, educate the consumers in the right way for the health and wealth of our society
Ending with a Quote from Atharva veda: 4-21-6 :
यूयं गावो मे दयथा कृशं चिदश्रीरं चित्कृणुथा सुप्रतीकम् । भद्र गृहं कृणुथ भद्रवाचो बृहद्वो वय उच्यते सभासु ॥
Means, The Cow, through its milk, transforms a weak and sick person into an energetic person, provides vitality to those without it and by doing so, makes the family prosperous and respectable in the civilized society.
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