by Teresa Austringer

Created on: March 01, 2009

Yes, it does do a body good. Cow's milk saved children in the United States from rickets, and developed nations from the malnutrition that plagues undeveloped countries-even countries that breast feed for extended periods of time.

Rickets is a serious disease caused by a nutritional deficiency. Children have to have sufficient amounts of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D to form strong, healthy straight bones. Rickets during childhood causes permanent impairment, even after treatment. It was endemic for centuries in the northern countries, where sunlight is scarce in the winter, until the efficacious effects of cod liver oil were discovered in the 1920's. Vitamin D is formed in the body from exposure to sunlight. It regulates calcium and phosphorus, which are also necessary to prevent rickets.

n the 1960's, the United States started fortifying milk with vitamin D, which virtually eliminated rickets and vitamin D deficiencies.

Until recently. Adults and children are being found to have vitamin D deficiencies again, and children are getting rickets. This is because of our indoor lifestyles, our sunscreen and worry about skin cancer, and because we have vilified milk.

Vitamin D is not found in breast milk. This is not an evolutionary mistake, but is because we originated from an area in the world with sufficient sunlight to not need it. Now that we have spread all over the globe, and live lifestyles out of the sun, it's imperative that we get enough vitamin D.

Pregnant women need vitamin D so that their newborns are not born with malformed bones. Nursing women need vitamin D to pass it on to the babies. Babies need vitamin D supplements and exposure to sunlight when they are still breastfeeding. Children, when they are toddlers, can have their calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D needs met with two glasses of milk a day.

Raw milk is not fortified with vitamin D. The risk of disease should be low from raw milk if it's known that the cows, or goats, are healthy. It should be recognized, however, that when using raw or organic milk a vitamin D supplement, or a natural source such as cod liver oil, need to be taken.

Most kids, even those who are of the genetic background to become lactose intolerant, are tolerant of lactose until four or five years of age. For those who are lactose intolerant, they can try lactaid, or a milk substitute, such as a pediatric formula for older children. Soymilk is not a milk substitute. If soymilk is used, it should be whole, and fortified with

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