Milking the system
“Drinka Pinta Milka Day”
Anyone remember that?
That was back in the heydays when milk was “full of natural goodness” and schools issued free milk to all the kids. Milk was considered to be part of the essential diet for everyone as it was full of calcium and so was good for bones and teeth.
No longer.
Over recent times I have become increasingly cynical about these “studies” which basically just take loads of data and try to extract meaningful results. Epidemiological studies have a place in the world of science I suppose, but the problem with them is that they can never tell the full story.
The milk “study” tracked 100,000 people and presumably counted their milk intake and then correlated that with lifespan or medical history. Did that “study” also include the infinite number of other variables that determine a persons life? Did it include genetics, mental attitudes, lifestyle, environment or even other dietary factors? It may have included some other factors but by definition it couldn’t have included all factors because they are infinite and unique to each individual.
What was the reason for this study? Why did someone suddenly decide to analyse milk? Did they pick through the bones of previous studies looking for an item that hadn’t been “studied” before? Why do I get the feeling that they pick on something that is supposed to be good for us, purely so they can come up with headline grabbing nonsense to justify their existence and their various grants?
The problem with these headline grabbers is that there are so many of them. Milk? Eggs? Fat? Sugar? Salt? All seem to have been proven to be highly beneficial or the epitome of evil at some stage in their history. The overall result is that they have lost what little credibility they may have had in the first place. Each one is just a single voice in the crowd who are all shouting the same thing – “you’ll never believe what we have just discovered”. The fact is that they are right – I don’t believe them any more. Any of them.
And I won’t be changing my consumption of milk either.
The problem with all these studies is that they can only relate to the impact on the average person, of which, of course, there are very few. As you point out, there are infinite variables, and that renders the whole study effectively meaningless.
Yes, I remember well the "Drinka Pinta Milka Day" advertising campaign.
I didn't take any notice of that, either.
When I look back, I realise that my cynicism regarding all that the 'experts' tell us goes back many, many years. It started, I think, when as a teenager back in 1967 I threw all caution to the winds and smoked some dope. Contrary to everything that had been drummed into me as a youngster about how evil and life-threatening it was (aaarrrgh – DRUGS!!!!), I found it to be not only very pleasurable but about as threatening as a pint of beer.
So much for the 'experts'.
The one factor that everyone seems to overlook – the stuff they claim is harmful or dangerous is the same stuff we lived with for decades without it doing any harm whatsoever. To listen to the "experts" there should be no survivors from the last century whatsoever. What went wrong? How did we all manage to live through all those terrible dangers?
Tut… Grandad you missed the point – it's about policy based evidence making – the feckers know what result they want and there's always some unprincipled amoral "researcher" who wants the money – and whatever they're given – it's never enough becuase they have to keep scares going to keep the salary coming in….
Over here on the mainland the medics (those that deal with blood, poo and actual diseases 'n stuff) have shoved the unprincipled scaremongering Public 'Elf cuckoos out of the NHS nest – they'e all been transferred to local councils – aren't we lucky eh?
I am well aware that the results drive the research but why would anyone want to discredit milk? It doesn't make any sense.
All foods, even milk, do perform one important function though. They prevent starvation!
In a risk/benefit analysis of the pros and cons of milk, I think everything should be measured against dying from hunger.
The important factor to consider is how much pleasure items give. It is the one factor which is never taken into consideration and coincidentally is the one factor that seems to be common to all research – the more pleasurable it is, the greater likelihood that they will demand a ban.
My practical observation over a number of years, not scientific study, has shown me that drinking a glass of wine after a couple of good meals every week is great for my health. So don't anybody try to confuse me with statistical analysis!
Indeed a bottle of wine after every meal is not to be sneezed at. It smacks too much of decadence though as far as the Puritans are concerned. Wine must be banned.
It's easier just to ignore them all which I am sure most sensible people do. The more ridiculous it gets the more they discredit themselves.