14 DAY TRIAL // For all of you milk lovers out there, here is some very good news: a recent study indicates that the very versatile dairy product is not only an excellent source of vitamins and calcium for the human body, but also has the ability to cut back on our chances to develop heart disease and cancer. There's one catch, though - experts say that we have to do our best to drink organic milk rather than regular milk, as the organic variety was proven to contain significantly higher levels of health-boosting fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants.
The Newcastle University researchers who conducted the study explained that "in an ideal world" we should all drink organic milk, despite the fact that it comes at a much higher price than regular milk. "We have known for some time that what cows are fed has a big influence on milk quality. What is different about this research is it clearly shows that on organic farms, letting cows graze naturally using a forage-based diet is the most important reason for the differences in composition between organic and conventional milk", said study leader Gillian Butler.
However, there are a series of drawbacks to the "organic milk for everyone" approach - starting with the fact that even if we were all willing to pay more for a pint of milk, there's nowhere near enough milk available to satisfy our daily needs. "[Organic milk] is more expensive to produce as you get less milk per unit of land and it is more expensive to buy. But because it is higher in all these beneficial compounds you don't need to buy as much to get the health benefits", Butler added.
Organic milk is produced by cows that are fed on a fiber-rich diet, predominately made up of grass, hay and silage - as opposed to the soy and cereals that are usually found in the diets of normal dairy farm cows. These animals are also allowed to feed on pesticide and fertilizer-free pastures and are rarely administered antibiotics. "What I am trying to do is identify what it is about organic milk that makes it healthier then maybe we can use that to improve milk quality across the board. It is important conventional dairy farmers keep an open mind and maybe tweak their production systems to improve the fatty acids in their milk", Butler concluded.