An important issue in the nutrition of children in the second and third years of life is the use of cow's milk. According to some scientists, cow's milk can be used safely after 12 months of age and should be given to the baby.
According to others, such as the French Society of Pediatrics and the authors of the French National Nutrition and Health Program, regular cow's milk is not suitable for children of this age, so the use of modified cow's milk, which they call "growth milk" (MR), should be recommended.
What kind of milk is best for a child?
Our opinion is that it is mandatory to use only homemade milk in feeding a baby, from a milk vending machine or from a farm, which, bypassing all competitors and intermediaries, is delivered directly to you, and does not lie on store shelves indefinitely. Of course, if the child is not allergic to milk. Studies have shown that milk from the milk vending machine is perfectly preserved, and during storage it is slowly stirred, which makes it possible to stir the cream without whipping butter.
Since this is a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of cow's milk and MR, it is almost impossible to use the principles of evidence-based medicine based mainly on the results of randomized clinical trials.
Unfortunately, this evidence base is largely inadequate for most nutrition-related topics. Evidence from randomized, placebo-controlled trials is undoubtedly necessary, but such studies are difficult to conduct with young children, adhering to all the requirements of evidence-based medicine and principles of bioethics.
The results of such studies often lead to the wrong conclusions, especially because of the inevitable mistakes. Thus, no study of this kind suggests that there is no harmful effect when children 1 to 3 years of age consume cow's milk, or that special formula milk and MR do not play an important role because they have no health benefits.
Today, the only way to assess the respective benefits and risks of the two types of milk is by assessing the quality of the nutrients obtained from their use and comparing them to the ordered daily intake or to the average daily requirement for this age group.
A study conducted in France in 2005 showed that children aged 12 to 24 months who consumed only cow's milk (360 ± 24 ml / day) and dairy products with cow's milk (156 ± 14 g / d) and did not consume infant formula or MR, compared to the recommended daily intake in France, often had an excess level of protein intake (3-4 times more than safe), low in essential fatty acids, iron, zinc and vitamins C, D and E.
A high percentage of these children ate iron (59%), zinc (56%), vitamin C (49%), vitamin E (94%) and vitamin D (100%) at the lowest average daily requirement, and linoleic acid (51%) and α-linolenic acid (84%) - within the minimum acceptable limits recommended in France. The reason for this situation was the use of cow's milk.
While the volume of cow's milk and dairy products with cow's milk was 43% of the daily food intake, 35% of the total energy and 44% of protein for these young children, only 17% of linoleic acid came from these products., 24% - linolenic acid, 11% - iron, 41% - zinc, 8% - vitamin C, 16% - vitamin E and 24% - vitamin D per day from the recommended. The nutritional value in cow's milk-based diets for this age was often insufficient compared to the required intake.
Obviously, in order to talk about the risks of such nutrition and its delayed consequences, a significant amount of diverse, including clinical, studies should be carried out.
