Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-lcc!ames!ucbcad!ucbvax!decvax!linus!philabs!aecom!werner From: werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) Newsgroups: sci.bio Subject: Re: Question about nutrition value of milk Message-ID: <835@aecom.UUCP> Date: Tue, 23-Dec-86 10:57:03 EST Article-I.D.: aecom.835 Posted: Tue Dec 23 10:57:03 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 24-Dec-86 05:39:51 EST References: <941@midas.UUCP> <441@omen.UUCP> Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY Lines: 43 Summary: Milk lowers serum cholesterol In article <441@omen.UUCP>, caf@omen.UUCP (Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX) writes: > In article <941@midas.UUCP> romans@midas.UUCP (Roman Slizynski) writes: > : Milk contains fat, cholesterol which is not really good for > : any one, ... > > It isn't as simple as that. > 1. Some cholesterol is necessary for good health. > 2. Most of the body's cholesterol is manufactured from ingested > carbohydrates. The body utilizes in any given day just short of a gram of cholesterol. Of that about 600 mg is synthesized by the body itself, primarily in the liver. The remaining 300 mg is extracted from the diet (that's an american diet). There is indeed quite a bit of fat and cholesterol in milk, and one would EXPECT that serum cholesterol (the only number that really matters) would rise with milk intake. It doesn't. It actually goes down a very small amount. Paradoxical yes, but biology is stranger than nature. And milk is a complex homogeneous suspension. Oh, this is not without precedence. It is generally agreed that high sodium intake causes increased blood pressure in suseptible humans. At least that's true for Sodium Chloride (normal table salt). However, Monosodium glutamate (one molecule Sodium, one molecule glutamate) causes a slight fall in blood pressure. Again paradoxical, and please no flames about Chinese Restaurant Syndrome. While I'm at it, let me talk about Fish Oils. The claims of these new wonder supplements (that is omega-6 fatty acids) is that they lower serum cholesterol. They don't. The Eskimos have a high serum cholesterol. What they lack is the expected mortality rate from cardiovascular disease that generally goes with a high serum cholesterol. There's a subtle difference there, and I thought I'd point it out. Furthermore, it is not generally appreciated that these pills are fatty acids. And the daily dose of these supplements provides about 300 calories. So one wonders if any of these studies can really be applied to the american population in other than a clinical trial situation (where those 300 calories replaces 300 calories of other fat, instead of supplementing it.) -- Craig Werner (MD/PhD '91) !philabs!aecom!werner (1935-14E Eastchester Rd., Bronx NY 10461, 212-931-2517) "If I don't see you soon, I'll see you later."