For adults, low-fat milk is best choice

DEAR DOCTOR K: My parents made us drink milk every day, and I’ve continued that as an adult. A friend just told me that adults don’t need milk, and that it can even be bad for you. What’s the truth?

DEAR READER: Like you, we always had milk when I was a kid. In fact, the coming of the milkman to deliver the milk at home (remember him?) was an important event each day. These days, I have milk on cereal, but I don’t drink it by the glass. As with most things, there are both benefits and risks.

The benefits: Milk is a good source of protein, calcium and vitamin D (in the U.S., most milk is fortified with vitamin D). An 8-ounce serving of milk has approximately 8 to 9 grams of protein, 300 milligrams of calcium and 100 IU of vitamin D.

However, there are risks to making milk your favorite beverage, especially if it’s whole:

Excess fat and calories. An 8-ounce serving of whole milk has 8 grams of fat (more than half of which are saturated) and 150 calories.

Dangerously high blood calcium levels. People who drink a lot of milk and also consume excessive amounts of calcium-containing antacids or high-calcium foods are at risk for high blood calcium levels. This can lead to kidney stones and other problems.

Milk allergies. These are much more common in children. However, recent studies found that up to 4 percent of adults report symptoms that could reflect milk allergy, ranging from stomach trouble to eczema.

Possible increased risk of certain diseases. There is some evidence that high dairy intake may be associated with prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.

Some people have lactase deficiency. When they drink milk or eat other dairy products, they get abdominal pains, bloating, diarrhea, vomiting and other unpleasant symptoms.

For me, the bottom line is “all things in moderation.” If you like milk, try using low-fat or nonfat varieties.

When I was a kid, I remember a television commercial that said, “You never outgrow your need for milk.” That’s not the case. But, I can’t imagine cereal without milk.