Facts About Milk 

Here are seven concise, science-based facts about milk that many people don’t know:

1. Milk is nearly all water
   • Whole cow’s milk is about 87% water; only around 13% is protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
   • That high water content means a glass of milk contributes meaningfully to hydration as well as nutrition.
2. Its white color comes from proteins and fat
   • Milk looks white because casein proteins, calcium complexes, and tiny fat globules scatter light in all directions, similar to how snow appears white.
   • Diet can tint milk slightly yellow or greenish due to pigments like carotene and the vitamin riboflavin.
3. Humans are unique milk drinkers among mammals
   • Humans are the only mammals that regularly drink the milk of other species in adulthood, thanks to dairying and a genetic mutation that allows some populations to keep producing lactase (the enzyme that digests lactose) after infancy.
   • Despite milk’s popularity, about 68% of the world’s population has some degree of lactose malabsorption.
4. Milk helped power steppe empires like the Mongols
   • Nomadic horse cultures on the Eurasian Steppe relied heavily on dairy, especially horse’s milk, to supply calories in landscapes that were poor for traditional agriculture.​
   • Even today, many people in these regions lack the lactase-persistence gene yet still get a large share of their calories from dairy, likely aided by an adapted gut microbiome.​
5. Pasteurization was a 19th‑century breakthrough
   • In 1857, Louis Pasteur showed that microorganisms in the air cause milk to sour, then demonstrated that heating liquids briefly could kill those microbes and extend shelf life.
   • This process, now called pasteurization, drastically reduced foodborne illness from milk and other beverages.
6. Milk is a dense package of essential nutrients
   • Beyond calcium, a serving of cow’s milk naturally provides protein and at least eight other key nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin B12, riboflavin, niacin, and often vitamin D (when fortified).
   • To match the calcium in one cup of milk, you might need roughly 10 cups of raw spinach, six servings of pinto beans, or three cups of cooked broccoli in one sitting.​
7. Milk proteins are “complete” and versatile
   • An 8‑ounce glass of milk contains about 8 grams of high‑quality, complete protein, meaning it supplies all the essential amino acids your body can’t make on its own.​
   • Those same proteins (especially casein) are what form cheese curds when coagulated and concentrated, turning a liquid into everything from cheddar to Parmesan.

James Eckburg

REDOX HEALTH