Ministry Wants To Make Thais Taller

[balo]

Can we now end the discussion about fresh milk and that there is not enough cows in Thailand to produce it without using imported milk powder ?

This is the latest numbers from 2007 :

Cows in Milk : 297.135 Dairy Cows : 500.335 Raw milk produced in Tonnes: 770.000

Read this article and you will understand more about Dairy production in Thailand

http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0588e/I0588E10.htm

[nachiket]

Milk is always good. I feed my son almost 400-600 ML a day (Meiji or Foremost) fresh and/or UHT. Today at the age of 2Y-7M he is 94 cms tall.

He is not 94cms because of the Milk!

Compare the average heights of North and South Koreans and you'll see the impact that diet has on height and weight. Don't know if the Northerners are shrinking or the Southerners are growing taller but there is a significant difference and that has only developed in the last couple of generations.

South Koreans are taller simply because most North Koreans are malnourished. Malnutrition will stop you growing, drinking milk will not aid/promote your growth.

I am really staggered by the number of people on here that actually think milk will help you grow taller....genuinely staggered. One bonus of milk is calcium, which incidentally can be got from many normal food sources. Calcium does not make you grow taller, it aids healthy strong bones, Milk does not make you grow taller, if it did I would be 2.5M tall. Your height is down to genetics and those genes can be from either your parents or grandparents. It seems the knowledge of biology on here is little or no different to the crackpot Minister in the OP. If they want to make the average height taller then just stop people under 165 cm from ever having children

I agreed with your points, but in my humble opinion, milk is very good for health and indeed for brain. The very first meal or drink we had, is a milk (of course mothers milk).

[ronz28]

Milk, meat and eggs are bad for you and your children for the reasons explained and as evidenced in many "Forks over Knives" presentations. Here is one of the several on YouTube and elsewhere.

Edited June 3, 2013 by ronz28

[chooka]

I am really staggered by the number of people on here that actually think milk will help you grow taller....genuinely staggered. One bonus of milk is calcium, which incidentally can be got from many normal food sources. Calcium does not make you grow taller, it aids healthy strong bones, Milk does not make you grow taller, if it did I would be 2.5M tall. Your height is down to genetics and those genes can be from either your parents or grandparents. It seems the knowledge of biology on here is little or no different to the crackpot Minister in the OP. If they want to make the average height taller then just stop people under 165 cm from ever having children

Actually, it goes further than that. Milk DOES contain calcium, but research shows that the calcium in milk is in a form that is very difficult to get. It has been found in numerous studies that drinking cows milk actually increases osteoporosis (bone degeneration). You'd be better off eating black sesame seeds, and small fish where you can eat the bones (like tinned sardines).

Height is genetics + good all-round nutrition.

Can't eat fish products. The smell of fish makes me thow up.

That is the 1st time I have heard that milk destroys your bones, why do governments around the world allow this to be done children. If this is true as you say, milk and dairy products should be banned and anyone found giving them to a child should face the death sentence. Our doctor still reccomends dairy products in our sons diet and doctors in Aust have done so also. I have consumed vast amounts of Dairy throughout my life and never had a broken bone in my life (played high contact sports) I don't slouch and my bones are very strong. I see a lot more thais bent over than I have seen western people and thais generally eat a lot more fish and westerners consume a lot more dairy.

Edited June 3, 2013 by chooka

[ronz28]

Maybe it is good for children but at some age it becomes harmful, clogging up the arteries and preventing some of our organs like the liver, kidneys, etc. to function well enough to prevent heart disease, cancer, etc. I grew up with it too and still have milk with coffee and have it around for the grand kids too, but I may stop it as this topic is new for me and I am hearing more and more convincing evidence about the harms of milk & meat. Maybe the radiation from Nukes like Fukushima will get me first but I have sworn off tuna and salmon too.

[AyG]

Can we now end the discussion about fresh milk and that there is not enough cows in Thailand to produce it without using imported milk powder ?

This is the latest numbers from 2007 :

Cows in Milk : 297.135 Dairy Cows : 500.335 Raw milk produced in Tonnes: 770.000

Read this article and you will understand more about Dairy production in Thailand

http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0588e/I0588E10.htm

I'm not sure that's the whole story. Thai people reportedly drink 14 litres/head/year*. Assuming a population of 69.5 million and that milk weights 1.035 kg/litre, then a total of 1,007,000 tonnes is consumed. This is quite a bit more than the 2007 production figure - particularly given that milk is used for other purposes (e.g. butter, powdered milk) and that Thailand exports it to other countries including Hong Kong and Singapore.

I don't for one moment believe that the fresh milk in Thailand is anything other than fresh milk, but based upon the figures I wonder whether some fresh milk is also imported.

* The same source as this figure (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/03/thais-told-drink-milk-boost-height) also mentions that Thais consume five times as much alcohol as milk (44 litres of pure alcohol a head per year). Cutting down on this would do a lot more good to the nation's health than getting people to "drinka pinta milka day".

[Thai at Heart]

Can we now end the discussion about fresh milk and that there is not enough cows in Thailand to produce it without using imported milk powder ?

This is the latest numbers from 2007 :

Cows in Milk : 297.135 Dairy Cows : 500.335 Raw milk produced in Tonnes: 770.000

Read this article and you will understand more about Dairy production in Thailand

http://www.fao.org/docrep/011/i0588e/I0588E10.htm

I'm not sure that's the whole story. Thai people reportedly drink 14 litres/head/year*. Assuming a population of 69.5 million and that milk weights 1.035 kg/litre, then a total of 1,007,000 tonnes is consumed. This is quite a bit more than the 2007 production figure - particularly given that milk is used for other purposes (e.g. butter, powdered milk) and that Thailand exports it to other countries including Hong Kong and Singapore.

I don't for one moment believe that the fresh milk in Thailand is anything other than fresh milk, but based upon the figures I wonder whether some fresh milk is also imported.

* The same source as this figure (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/03/thais-told-drink-milk-boost-height) also mentions that Thais consume five times as much alcohol as milk (44 litres of pure alcohol a head per year). Cutting down on this would do a lot more good to the nation's health than getting people to "drinka pinta milka day".

It's mixed with milk powder.

[Jasun]

I've read this article three times and it still isn't making any sense.

[brubakertx]

Make it easier to recognize the ladyboys. lol

Edited June 4, 2013 by brubakertx

[maddas]

interesting topic, i doubt drinking milk will make thais taller but i think good nutrition helps any one reach there physical and mental potential, inbreeding with farangs can change the genetics, so this may be an effective way of increasing height take, milk aside my uncle was a butcher and made it to his 90's, he always had the fattest steaks I have seen,,,,, go figure, cheers

[Wombat6]

What a silly idea to make kids taller. They will take up more space and therefore in future generations there will not be enough space for Thais. (That is the reason why Thailand will not sell land to Foreigners because there will not be enough land for Thais}

[goatfarmer]

This is the most laughable thing I've heard in ages.....this guy obviously doesn't know a thing about science or human nutrition...A marked increase in dairy consumption will just increase rates of obesity and obesity related disorders like diabetes and heart disease. Oh, yeah, and the notion that milk builds strong bones is also BS. Why is it that countries with the highest milk consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis in old age?

Let me enlighten you with a quote from a real doctor who specializes in nutritional research.

"there is a strong association between dairy lactose and ischemic heart disease. There is also a clear association between high growth promoting foods such as dairy products and cancer. There is a clear association between milk consumption and bladder, prostate, colorectal, and testicular cancers. Dairy fat is also loaded with various toxins and is the prime source of our nation's (USA) high exposure to dioxin."

and .....

"In April 2000 the Physician's Health Study reported that having 2.5 servings of dairy each day boosted prostate cancer risk by more than 30%"

The above quotes are from Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman M.D.

So unless the ministry wants to enrich the diary industry some more, decrease the general health of the population whilst placing an increased weight on an inadequate health care system and enriching the pharmaceutical sector....I'd say they're on the wrong track.

Maybe encouraging Thais to read more and watch less TV would help.... but who'd make any money?

Ah, a Fuhrman disciple. All very well if you are content with a diet consisting almost entirely of fruit and veggies. Or maybe not all very well:

http://www.westonaprice.org/thumbs-down-reviews/eat-to-live

[transam]

Watch out Thailand's neighbours.

[KruMac]

Maybe soy milk (without the sugar) would be a good thing, but dairy sounds like an uninspired if not completely misguided idea. For at least twenty years now the powers that be have tried pushing subdised milk on Thai elementary schools with unencouraging results, largely because while In Europeans the incidence of lactose intolerance is in the 5% range, in Thais it is much higher.

lactose intolerance thai - Google Search

-- https://www.google.com/search?q=lactose+intolerance+thai

The incidence of lactose malabsorption was, thus, 51%; symptoms of intolerance were found in 21 of the 23 malabsorbers, making the incidence of lactose intolerance 47%.

-- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15822548

Lactose Intolerance is Associated with Changing of Intestinal Villi in Thai People - Thai Journal of Gastroenterology

Results of breath hydrogen excretion test identified the prevalence of lactose intolerance in 68% of the subjects: 15/16 (93.75%) of group I ; 1/5 (20.0%) of group II and 1/4 (25%) of group III respectively ( P<0.001). The symptom of diarrhea after lactose loading was correlated well with patients who positive of breath hydrogen analysis [sic].

-- http://www.thaigastro.com/books.php?act=content&content_id=19&book_id=7

Edited June 5, 2013 by KruMac

[Steely Dan]

Just a thought, perhaps this policy is intended for flood mitigation, if not prevention.

[Beats56]

Hahah I find this so funny, Its all in the genes! Milk wont make you taller. I am 6 foot but is because my

family is tall.. You short relatives then you will likely be short .

[GentlemanJim]

I am really staggered by the number of people on here that actually think milk will help you grow taller....genuinely staggered. One bonus of milk is calcium, which incidentally can be got from many normal food sources. Calcium does not make you grow taller, it aids healthy strong bones, Milk does not make you grow taller, if it did I would be 2.5M tall. Your height is down to genetics and those genes can be from either your parents or grandparents. It seems the knowledge of biology on here is little or no different to the crackpot Minister in the OP. If they want to make the average height taller then just stop people under 165 cm from ever having children

Actually, it goes further than that. Milk DOES contain calcium, but research shows that the calcium in milk is in a form that is very difficult to get. It has been found in numerous studies that drinking cows milk actually increases osteoporosis (bone degeneration). You'd be better off eating black sesame seeds, and small fish where you can eat the bones (like tinned sardines).

Height is genetics + good all-round nutrition.

Can't eat fish products. The smell of fish makes me thow up.

That is the 1st time I have heard that milk destroys your bones, why do governments around the world allow this to be done children. If this is true as you say, milk and dairy products should be banned and anyone found giving them to a child should face the death sentence. Our doctor still reccomends dairy products in our sons diet and doctors in Aust have done so also. I have consumed vast amounts of Dairy throughout my life and never had a broken bone in my life (played high contact sports) I don't slouch and my bones are very strong. I see a lot more thais bent over than I have seen western people and thais generally eat a lot more fish and westerners consume a lot more dairy.

Chooka

Watch the documentary 'Forks over knives'. I just finished it, it is excellent and you can download from the net. It explains about milk/calcium/bones etc. There is a link on the thread somewhere but I can't find it any more. Just google the details.

Another great documentary and very inspirational, and one which may resonate with many expats in Thailand is called 'Fat, Sick and nearly dead'. I found it by chance looking for 'Forks over Knives'. I watched it yesterday and started the program today. I will let you know the results

[khunron13]

I'm guessing K. Srikaew while watching the 10th replay of the same NBA playoff game on true, was outraged that their were no Thai's in the NBA and had an epiphany!

[khunron13]

I'm guessing K. Srikaew while watching the 10th replay of the same NBA playoff game on True, was outraged that their were no Thai's in the NBA and had an epiphany!

[Pattaya28]

The Public Health Ministry aims to boost Thai youths' average height to 175cm for males and 162cm for females in 10 years and also lengthen the average life span to 80 years through a campaign to drink milk every day.

Does milk really have these effects on Thais ??

How can milk make a nation taller ??

And live longer ??

I feel there's a bung somewhere along that route

[JimsKnight]

*face palm*

Exactly, the Thais won't be Farang by any stretch of the imagination so why this bs?

[transam]

*face palm*

Exactly, the Thais won't be Farang by any stretch of the imagination so why this bs?

So why do many Thai guys want to show me how strong they are ? BUT, when I suggest a test they walk away.

[ronz28]

I have been considering replacing my cow milk consumption with soy milk but have run into a lot of articles on the internet like this one listing all the dangers of soy milk like aluminum that can lead to Alzheimer's, phytic acid that prevents absorption of magnesium, calcium, zinc and iron, enzyme inhibiters preventing body's use of protein and on and on with some calling it child abuse to feed soy products to infants.

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/soy.htm

So I think we will just reduce the amount of milk we consume and switch from whole milk to low fat milk. I will offer the same to my grand kids.

Human breast milk is probably best for kids and then cow's milk up to some age but soy milk, tofu, and other soy products is off the menu from here on until I see research that might disprove the claimed dangers of soy products.