November 15, 2001
Meal Planning, Food and Diet
Question from Newcastle, Australia:
When I switched my three and a half year old son to cows milk instead of soy, I noticed that his blood sugars have been lower, yet cows milk has a higher sugar content. I am searching for information on whether the growth hormones fed to dairy cows to increase lactation affect blood sugar levels. Has any research been done on the effect of growth hormones in animals which are consumed by people with diabetes? Should I switch him to organic cows milk?
Answer:
There is no known difference in the effect of any milk products on blood glucose levels. All have relatively fast acting carbohydrates either as lactose or glucose. So, I can think of no reason to use one or another type of milk except for allergies or intolerance to something in one kind of milk. Be especially careful about non-pasteurized milk because of bacterial contaminants.
SB
