More  adults  are  lactose  intolerant  than  are  lactose  tolerant,  and  yet  humans  
are  the  only  animals  that  continue  to  drink  milk,  or  consume  any  kind  of  dairy  after  
infancy!  Despite  these  facts,  the  dairy  industry  is  still  one  of  the  biggest  industries  
known  to  date.  
 

   
 
  As  this  graphic  from  the  Food  Intolerance  Network  shows,  there  are  some  
areas  of  the  world  where  lactose  intolerance  ranges  from  80—100%  of  the  adult  
population.  The  small  light  blue  portion  of  Northern  Europe  is  the  only  area  of  the  
world  that  has  0-­‐15%  lactose  intolerance.  A  lot  more  people  have  dairy  allergies  
than  the  milk  industry  would  like  you  to  believe.    
 
Despite  this,  milk  is  like  a  social  norm.  Its  consumption  is  like  an  unwritten  
rule  that  everyone  has  accepted  and  follows.  Milk  has  become  such  a  necessary  part  
of  our  diets  that  alternatives  such  as  soy  and  almond  milk  have  been  invented  to  
give  people  who  can’t  drink  milk  the  illusion  that  they  still  are.  Campaigns  carried  
out  by  the  dairy  industry,  such  as  “Got  Milk?”  convinced  the  public  that  milk  would  
ensure  them  height,  stronger  bones,  and  a  healthier  life  overall.  To  sum  it  up,  the  
people  telling  you  that  milk  is  a  must  are  the  people  who  profit  off  of  milk  sales.  
Coincidence?  Let’s  find  out.  
 
Marion  Nestle  is  a  professor  in  the  Department  of  Nutrition,  Food  Studies  and  
Public  Health  at  New  York  University.  From  March  of  2015  to  March  of  2016  she  
informally  tracked  studies  that  had  connections  to  the  food  industry.  Out  of  the  168  
studies  that  she  encountered,  93%  of  the  studies  had  results  that  supported  the  
sponsor’s  interest.  In  other  words,  only  12  of  the  studies  produced  results  
contradictory  to  the  sponsor’s  beliefs.  This  shows  us  how  companies  have  managed  
to  infiltrate  something  as  supposedly  unbiased  as  scientific  research  and  the  dairy  
industry  is  no  exception  from  this  fact.  
 
 There  is  so  much  research  being  done  surrounding  milk  and  it’s  effects.  
However,  the  data  may  be  subject  to  change  depending  on  who  is  conducting  the  
research.  For  example  there  are  numerous  studies  that  have  been  sponsored  by  
New  Zealand  Milk  showing  that  lack  of  milk  consumption  leads  to  weak  bones  and  
fractures.  However  if  you  investigate  these  studies  further,  you  will  find  that  many  
of  these  studies  used  the  same  exact  sample  population,  which  is  additionally  a  very  
small  size.  Many  tables  that  are  crucial  to  understanding  the  findings  are  also  left  
out  of  the  full  research  paper.  New  Zealand  Milk  is  one  of  Australia’s  top  dairy  
companies.    
 
It’s  occurrences  such  as  this  that  blur  the  line  between  research  and  
marketing.  Unfortunately,  this  is  something  that  happens  commonly  nowadays  in  
the  food  industry.  Millions  of  dollars  from  large  companies,  and  even  governments,  
goes  into  funding  “research”  that  is  intended  to  bring  more  profit  to  said  industries.  
So,  ultimately,  milk  and  dairy  may  not  be  as  necessary  to  your  diet  as  you  have  been  
lead  to  believe.