A big new Swedish study on milk consumption has gained some attention. It suggests that people who drink a lot of milk live shorter lives on average, and perhaps in addition have an increased risk of bone fractures:
BBC: High milk diet “may not cut risk of bone fractures”
Again, this is only based on statistics from questionnaires – i.e. an observational study. Thus it’s by no means proof that milk shortens life. To know for sure the theory has to be tested in intervention studies, which is much harder and vastly more expensive.
But the statistics from the study are still worth pondering. My conclusion is that it’s wise to only drink milk regularly in larger quantities only as a child, not as an adult. Milk is very insulin stimulating, both through lactose, and through a special milk protein, which stimulates desirable growth in young children.
As an adult, it may be wiser to drink water on a regular basis and wine for festive occasions. As well as tea or coffee at your convenience.
Reducing milk consumption may also help to maintain a stable weight, by keeping insulin levels down. In particular, low-fat milk should be avoided. It could also be called white soda.