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Gang of Five
Apr 2001

By Dr. John M Berardi, Ph.D.
First published at www.t-mag.com

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Got Milk?

Q. I'm confused about milk. Pro bodybuilders often claim it makes their skin thicker, and guys like John Parrillo say the sugar lactose contributes to bodyfat. If I want to be very lean, do I have to just say no when I hear, 'got milk?'

A. This has been an interesting topic for many years. In fact I've heard this rumor ever since I began competing in bodybuilding contests (early 1990's). But despite all the discussion I have never seen any good data to support the notion that milk consumption will either lead to "thick skin" (whatever that is…I will assume that "thick skin" is excess water retention) or increased body fat. Ask a nutritionist or food scientist this question and they will simply chalk it up to bodybuilders having hypertrophied muscle tissue but atrophied brain tissue. But if you ask a bodybuilding guru they will probably tell you to avoid milk like you'd avoid that mad cow disease. So what's the deal?

As usual, I think the truth is somewhere in the middle of the extremes. While I don't think milk is the body composition equivalent of a cream-filled donut, I do think that the bodybuilding guru's are on to something with their recommendations. Again, while there may be no solid studies showing that when 1 group drank milk they gained more fat than another group, some indirect evidence may warrant discussion.

First, milk has been getting a reputation lately as a highly insulinotropic (insulin-releasing) food. In a study done in 1996 and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, dairy products like ice cream and yogurt had huge insulin responses (Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Nov;66(5):1264-76.). And in a few studies last year published in the British Journal of Nutrition, milk was discussed as a highly insulin-releasing drink (Br J Nutr 2000 Mar;83 Suppl 1:S149-55). In the studies above, dairy products seem to release insulin out of proportion with their glycemic index (or the rate of glucose appearance into the blood).

A few other studies were conducted to examine what component (the lactose, the protein, etc) of milk actually leads to this large insulin release. It appears that it's not the lactose content that leads to the insulin response since both normal skim milk and low-lactose skim milk lead to the same high insulin levels (Z Ernahrungswiss 1987 Mar; 26(1): 52-5.). From this work, it appears that the interaction between either the protein components of milk and perhaps some other unknown components of milk may be responsible for the insulin release.

So what does all this mean? Well, if insulin is high in the blood, it can prevent lypolysis (fat breakdown). And if you're drinking milk and it leads to high insulin levels in the blood, you may be preventing some fat breakdown that might normally occur. How big is this effect? Probably not all that huge, but when dieting we need every little bit of help that we can get so perhaps milk should be avoided when dieting.

Another thought has to do with milk allergies. When discussing milk allergies I am not referring to lactose intolerance. Milk allergies manifest as excess mucous production, difficult breathing (ashma-like condition) gastrointestinal distress, skin rashes, and cardiovascular complications. While full-blown milk allergy is only present in a small percentage of the population, it is clear that a larger percentage of the population may have mild forms of food allergies. Since one of the main effects of milk allergy is a large immune and inflammatory response, it only stands to reason that in those with even mild milk allergies, water retention and abnormal responses to training and dieting could manifest.

Finally, if you are drinking milk that has fat in it, the saturated fat content of milk is high and saturated fat intake is not optimal for dieting conditions. Since saturated fats lower insulin sensitivity and are more prone to storage in adipose tissues, saturated fat intake should be eliminated in favor of poly and monounsaturates when dieting.

So perhaps when dieting, you should just say no to milk, just to be on the safe side of the pasture. However, unless you have lactose intolerance or serious milk allergy, milk is always a good addition to a weight gain program.