[In April 2004] researchers in Brazil studied the
effects of skim cow milk consumption compared to
soy milk consumption using what's called a
double-blind randomized crossover study. People
were randomly split into two groups and given
four cups of either soy milk or skim milk to
drink every day. The milks were identically
packaged and flavored such that neither the
research subjects nor the researchers knew who
was drinking which. Then at six weeks the skim
milk group was secretly switched to soy and vice
versa. So after 3 months each participant had
spent 6 weeks on soy and six on skim in random
order. The codes were broken and data tallied:
Soy won hands down.
When the subjects were drinking soy milk, their
bad cholesterol went down and their good
cholesterol went up (exactly the reverse of what
happened when they were drinking milk from a
cow). The amount of rancid fat circulating in
their blood stream (a further risk factor for
heart disease) was also reduced drinking the soy
milk (and marginally higher drinking cow milk).
The American Heart Association recommends people
switch from whole milk to skim milk. But this new
research suggests that it would be much healthier
for people to wean themselves from bovine milk
altogether and switch from veal milk to real
milk--soy milk.[Nutrition 20(2004):200]
--Dr. Greger is the author of Heart Failure: Diary of a Third Year Medical Student and has contributed to a number of books on veganism and food safety issues. He graduated from Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine. Please visit his web site, Vegan M.D..
