For Most Adults, Milk Choice Matters Less Than You Think
Cow's milk is crucial for growing kids, and soy comes closest to it, but well nourished adults can choose on taste.
Gastropod · Plant Milk Proliferation: Oat, Soy, Almond, and More, But Which Is Best?After she finished a detailed review of the research on milk and health, Becky Ramsing, who led the health side of the review, was asked which milk adults should actually choose.
"If you're getting enough protein in your diet and you're drinking milk because you like the flavor or you like the creaminess in your coffee, then it's probably not a big deal," she said.
Ramsing argues that age and daily intake matter more than which carton you buy. For children, Ramsing said "cow's milk is a vital source of protein," plus calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin A, and kids who drink it tend to be taller and heavier with denser bones.
For adults, she said the benefits are more limited. Milk and dairy eaters had lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and heart attacks, though it is hard to separate from other lifestyle and diet habits, and the bone benefit was mixed.
The same logic applies to plant milks, she argues, because there is no one plant milk. Soy and pea protein milks are made from beans, so they are higher in protein and closest to cow's milk. Nut and seed milks often contain vitamin E but much less protein. Most plant milks fall short on "calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6" unless they are fortified, Ramsing said.
That is the limit on her idea. For a child who depends on milk for protein and calcium, or for someone drinking gallons a day, the choice matters a lot. For most other adults, she says, it does not.
Ramsing drinks oat milk herself. "It tastes really good in coffee, but I don't need the protein," she said.
Questions people ask
Does that mean plant milk is fine for young children?
Not necessarily as a straight swap. Ramsing found cow's milk supplies protein, calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients important for growth. Among plant options, she found soy and pea milks are highest in protein and closest to cow's milk, and many cartons need fortification for calcium and B vitamins, so check the label.
If I buy plant milk, will I miss out on calcium?
You can, unless the carton is fortified. Most plant bases are naturally low in calcium, B12, and B6, so makers add them. Research suggests the added calcium is generally absorbable, while vitamin D can be trickier, so a fortified soy, pea, or oat milk plus a varied diet is a safer bet than an unfortified carton.
Is soy milk safe, given concerns about estrogen?
For most people, yes, in normal amounts. As general background beyond what Ramsing reviewed in these segments, soy contains plant compounds that weakly resemble human estrogen but are far weaker than the estrogen our bodies make.