Food Freedom Friday Edition 300 - Dairy & The Carnivore Diet
You may have heard that milk is healthy. It’s a great source of calcium that keeps your bones and teeth strong. Or you may have heard that it’s unhealthy. And that full fat cream, butter, and cheese make you fat and raise your cholesterol. Dairy a controversial topic.
With the Carnivore Diet there is even more confusion. Dairy comes from an animal so it is technically okay to eat. The basis of the Carnivore Diet is eating in a way that is congruent with how humans are designed to eat, and dairy was only very minimally present in the human diet before the Agricultural Revolution when humans first domesticated animals.
Dairy is meant to grow a baby mammal into a big mammal - a calf into a cow. An infant into an adolescent. In order to do this, it is loaded with energy – fat, protein, and sugars. along with vitamins, minerals and growth factors.
It is also important to note that the milk from other animals is different from human breast milk.
Dairy Considerations
Lactose
Lactose is the sugar in milk. And to digest it, you need a special enzyme called lactase. Lactose is composed of glucose and galactose (2 sugar molecules). Galactose is a prebiotic for bacteria which is thought to play an important role in the infant’s gut promoting early development, especially that of the nervous and immune systems.
This does not imply you should eat dairy your whole life. Research shows that feeding a lot of galactose to mice makes them age faster meaning it might not be as beneficial long term.
As babies you have a gene that encodes for the lactase enzyme which breaks down lactose. However, throughout human history the gene that controls lactase production “turns off” between the ages of 2 and 5, corresponding with the weaning of a baby off breast milk. So traditionally humans lost the ability to produce lactase, meaning all humans (besides children) are were technically lactose intolerant until about ~7500 years ago.
With the domestication of animals, the easy energy from diary provided a large survival advantage.
Thanks to a genetic mutation the lactase gene remained “turned on” Meaning adults with this mutation could retain the ability to make lactase. Due to the selective advantage “lactase persistence” spread throughout Europe.
Today 2 out of 3 people in the world are still lactose intolerant, meaning they still lose the ability to produce lactase. If they consume lactose it goes through their GI tract without being broken down. The lactose reaches the large intestines where bacteria ferment it and release lactic acid and gases leaving them feeling bloated and suffering from pains and gases.
There is a spectrum of lactose intolerance. Many people lose the complete ability to make any lactase while others can make enough to digest up to 90% of the lactose they eat.
Casein
Besides the varying ability to digest lactose, milk proteins, namely. casein and whey, can be problematic for many people.
Casein is a thick and sticky protein that takes digestive enzymes longer to break down. This is why it is often referred to as a “slow-release” protein.
Cow milk has about 4 times more casein than human milk. Furthermore, cows have a form of casein called alpha S1 casein. It is this form of casein that is the most common cause of milk protein allergies.
Cows stomachs are different from human stomachs. They contain an enzyme called rennet designed to break up big clumps of casein. Humans do not have rennet resulting in people having a hard time digesting large amounts of casein.
A1 vs A2 Dairy
There is another variant within the beta-casein family resulting in A1 vs A2 dairy
Modern “Western” cow breeds have a mutation with beta-casein and they are called A1 cows. The “old” breeds, including buffalo, sheep, and goats, are A2. Most bovine contains a blend of A1 and A2 in different amounts.
Some studies have linked adverse health effects with A1 dairy. It is thought this is due to the digestion of A1 which produces a potentially damaging peptide called beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7) which can affect receptors in the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. There is also a good amount of anecdotal evidence from people who cannot consume A1 dairy but tolerate A2 well.
Whey
Whey is way easier to digest than casein.
However, whey proteins in milk cause insulin to rise similar to sugar. Whey can destabilize blood glucose (hypoglycemia) and hormone levels that lead to cravings as well as mood swings and fatigue.
Whey also signals our body’s Growth Hormone (GH) to rise. Together with casein which signals IGF-1, you get a combination of hormone production that mimics what we see in puberty, fueling large amounts of growth.
This may be seen as a beneficial response for a bodybuilder, but perhaps not such a good thing to be stimulating on a regular basis throughout life.
For people with body composition goals as a top priority, the strategic use of whey protein can help build muscle This is the “exception” not the “rule,” and has to be weighed against the potential downfalls of stimulating anabolic growth factors combined with overall effectiveness versus eating that protein as whole food meat. Overall, for the vast majority of people with body composition goals, replacing meat with whey protein powder is suboptimal.
Addiction, Acne & Absorption
Besides the digestion of milk sugars and the potential adverse impact of milk proteins, dairy can be addictive, cause acne, and iron deficiency.
· Milk peptides have natural opioid properties which can make dairy seem addictive and sedating. Ever had that feeling that you can’t stop with one piece of cheese?
· A growth factor called betacellulin can lead to acne through overproduction of sebum – the natural skin oils.
· Pediatricians advise parents not to feed their baby cow’s milk for the 1st year because of the risk of developing an iron deficiency. The milk could interference with iron absorption and/or damage to GI tract.
Dairy & The Carnivore Diet:
Calcium has its necessary place in the human diet and an all meat diet without dairy appears to be quite low in calcium. In addition, people worry that a high meat diet increases acidity in the blood making calcium even more important to balance the pH and prevent calcium and other alkaline compounds from being leached from the bones.
However, dairy or supplemental calcium is unnecessary on a meat-based diet. With a high protein diet there seems to be a more efficient absorption of calcium in the gut. Supplementing calcium on a meat-based diet could actually lead to hypercalciuria and renal stones. In addition, plant food antinutrients like phytic acid and oxalates interfere with calcium absorption.
Calcium, Acidity, & Bone Health
Americans eat more dairy than almost any other country and have some of the highest rates of osteoporosis. There is a lack of evidence that dairy or calcium supplements strengthen bones or protect from osteoporosis. Vitamin D seems more critical.
Sufficient protein intake along with the prevention of sarcopenia (muscle wasting) are far more important.
Dairy Processing
Another important consideration is how that dairy is processed.
Raw milk comes straight from the cow without any processing.
Similar to the antidotal evidence of A2 vs A1 milk, raw milk is often associated with improved digestion for those who are lactose intolerant. It is not uncommon for these people to be able to consume some dairy symptom free. This is a result of the bacteria in raw milk and their effect on the lactase.
Most raw milk comes from grass fed cows (whereas commercial milk comes from CAFOs). It is not processed resulting in the natural bacteria remaining present and aiding in the digestion of the lactose. Other probiotic bacteria and antimicrobial enzymes are also not destroyed.
Besides retaining beneficial bacteria and enzymes, raw milk retains more nutrition than processed milk. It has more omega 3 fatty acids, more CLA, more vitamins, and more minerals. Pasteurization, while killing off bacteria, also decreases minerals like manganese, copper and iron, and reduces vitamins like B2 and B12.
Because raw milk comes “pre-packaged” with anti-microbial properties, the risk of contamination is mitigated.
But not all raw milk is the same. The source is critical.
If you are wanting to purchase and consume raw dairy consider:
· How are the cows fed?
· Are they grass fed and (ideally) finished?
· Is the milk tested? (This can be expensive so not all small dairy farmers will do this).
· How is it stored and transported?
Milk should be chilled as soon as possible, including during transport and storage.
Pasteurization
Pasteurization heats raw milk to kill bacterial contamination. There is high temp short time (HTST) pasteurization which keeps milk fresh for 2-3 weeks. And there is “UHT” Ultra High Temperature pasteurization which enables a longer shelf life.
Homogenization
Homogenization is the process of filtering the milk at a high pressure in order to break apart fat globules into smaller sizes. This prevents cream separation and makes the milk uniform in consistency. Large scale dairy farms can then mix milk from different herds, prolong shelf-life, and filter out fat to create 2%, 1%, and skim milk.
If you can get your dairy directly from the farmer who takes care of his cattle as well as the necessary precautions, raw milk could be a great addition to your diet.
Dairy Fat
When fat is separated from dairy you get some beloved products including butter and heavy whipping cream. The most of the troublesome components of dairy are removed (lactose and milk proteins), most people tend to well with these although they can be easy to overeat.
Benefits of Dairy Fat
Although cholesterol and saturated fat has been demonized for decades, butter has a host of beneficial fats like CLA, AA, lauric acid, and butyrate. It has the Price Factor (Activator X) which helps the body absorb and use minerals. It has the Wulzen Factor which prevents calcification of joints and arteries.
Full-fat dairy is a great source of Vitamin K2 which has been shown to help prevent calcium from settling in arteries. It works synergistically with Vitamin D to direct calcium, to the bones and teeth.
Fermented Dairy
Kefir is a fermented milk drink (cow, goat, or sheep’s milk) that is similar t liquid yogurt. It is made by adding kefir grains - colonies of yeast and lactic acid bacteria - to milk. These microbes ferment the sugar turning it into kefir (the strained liquid), making it low in lactose.
Many people do well with kefir and it has some beneficial properties like being a natural probiotic and a good source of calcium and vitamin K2.
Kefir often contains ethanol, a by-product of fermentation. The concentration varies by production methods, but modern production tends to use shorter fermentation times and thus typically has much lower ethanol concentrations.
Many cheeses are also fermented including hard cheeses like cheddar and parmesan. Fresh cheeses like mozzarella and cottage cheese, are not.
Fermentation tends to improve the digestion of dairy, decrease lactose concentration, and can be a good source of nutrition and probiotics.
In Summary
Humans are designed to eat human breast milk as infants. The weaning off breast milk corresponds with the loss of the ability to digest lactose.
During the Agricultural Revolution, humans began to domesticate animals and incorporate dairy into the adult diet for the first time. It provided a survival advantage giving a consistent source of nutrition. At that time methods were developed to remove as much lactose as possible. Genetic mutation allowed certain humans to retain the ability to digest lactose in varying degrees into adulthood.
Cows milk, designed to grow a baby cow into a big cow, differs from human milk and certain incompatibilities, especially in milk proteins, can cause issues. The growth factors, while potentially beneficial in building muscle and fueling growth, may have adverse consequences on long term health if stimulated day-in-and-day-out.
It’s important to remember that humans are unique among mammals in drinking milk past childhood as well as drinking the milk of other animals.
For those who can tolerate some lactose and are asymptomatic to the milk proteins incorporating some, limited dairy into the diet poses no issue. The safest / best options are full fat, grass fed, raw choices from local farmers (i.e. butter, cream, whole milk).
If you want to eat dairy it is important to go eliminate it for a period of time to determine whether adding it into your diet poses any negative effects, bearing in mind that not all dairy and not all dairy products are the same.