Experts Share The Strange Impact Drinking A Glass Of Milk Each Day Has On The Body

Milk is the only thing we consume for our first six months as human beings — so it’s got to be good for us. Right? Why else would official government guidelines tell us that we need to consume more dairy? And it’s surely why the TV has been asking us whether we’ve “got milk?” for the past 30 years or so. But when it comes to the white stuff and our health, things are actually a lot more complicated than you might think.

Straight facts

The conversation about the goodness of milk comes at just the right time, too. America has been producing more and more milk for people in recent years — just over a staggering 226 billion pounds in 2020. Yet the amount of milk that consumers are buying has decreased. Does that mean the tide has finally turned against the white stuff?

Government warning

Well, the advice from the U.S. government couldn’t be any clearer. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 was put together by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences. And it states, in no uncertain terms, “Most individuals would benefit by increasing intake of dairy.” Its stats are pretty startling, too.

Stark reality

“About 90 percent of the U.S. population does not meet dairy recommendations,” the guidelines state. This dairy can come in the form of milk, cheese, or yogurt — but the document offers more in-depth statistics about milk consumption. And if you’re one of those people who go to bed with a glass of warm milk, you could be in for a shock.

Startling facts

According to the guidelines, only one-fifth of all grown-ups in America drink a glass of milk each day. The numbers are slightly better for the younger generations — although not exactly amazing. Only 34 percent of teenagers, for instance, will choose milk as a beverage. So it seems as we get older, we begin to turn our backs on the white stuff.