Slim down with skim milk? We busted that myth 10 years ago

Skinny cows, fat kids

They always look so confused — and half the time they get it wrong.

I swear…sometimes I think I am the only person who orders whole milk at Starbucks.
What all those people ordering skinny lattes don’t realize is that their non-fat choice is actually less healthy — and MORE likely to cause weight gain.

The skim scam

Hear that sound? That’s mainstream nutritionists’ heads exploding. In their world, skim milk equals skinny. End of discussion.

Even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says parents should give kids low-fat milk, beginning at age two, to prevent weight gain.

Well, they can cling to that myth all they like. But it won’t make it right.

A new study of more than 10,500 U.S. pre-school kids shows the exact opposite is true. In this study, there is a clear (and significant) link between drinking skim milk and higher body weight. And it held up across all racial, ethnic, and economic groups.

Researchers are mystified. But that just means they haven’t read the literature. Previous research has produced similar results.

NPR talked to a pediatrician who’s a member of the AAP Committee on Nutrition. Of course, he’s not letting go of the advice about switching kids to low-fat milk at age two. No way. He claims that the results of the new study don’t make sense “from a biological perspective.”

Really? Well here are some biology fun facts I’ve been talking about for 10 years…

One: calcium intake helps kids lose weight. This isn’t a surprise. Calcium does the same thing for adults. But Dr. Spreen has two important points to add… 1) The milk skimming process strips away nutrients, such as calcium. 2) Your body absorbs calcium better when you consume the mineral with — yep! — milk fat.

But wait. There’s more… Your body absorbs milk sugars slower when they’re consumed with milk fat. Take away the milk fat, and your body absorbs the sugars rapidly and turns them into fat. That’s why low-fat milk has a HIGHER Glycemic Index rating than whole milk.

Wow! Biology! Who knew?

Well… We knew. These aren’t secrets we’ve been hiding from mainstream nutritionists. It’s more like those nutritionists are stubbornly hiding from any details that will shatter their “fats are bad” myth.

Sources:
“Whole Milk Or Skim? Study Links Fattier Milk To Slimmer Kids” Allison Aubrey, NPR, 3/20/13, npr.org

“Longitudinal Calcium Intake is Negatively Related to Children’s Body Fat Indexes” Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Vol. 103, No. 12, December 2003, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

“Increasing Calcium, Preventive Therapy for Childhood Obesity?” NutraIngredients.com, 12/18/04, nutraingredients.com

“Calcium Intake and Adiposity” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 77, No. 2, 281-287, February 2003, ajcn.org