Female mammals secrete milk for their young. As the needs of human infants are quite different from the needs of infant animals, the composition of the milk differs. Most mammals attain full size in a short span of several months to a couple of years, while human beings take about eighteen years to reach physical maturity. Cow’s milk contains about three times more protein and two times more fat than human milk since calves attain full size in about eighteen months! Thus, when humans consume dairy products, we are forced to process more protein than our systems were designed for.

The human growth rate is highest in the first year of life. The infant doubles its birth weight in 6 months and triples in one year. After this, the rate of growth slows down. Proteins are essential for growth, and especially crucial early in the infant’s life. Human milk, the ideal food at this age, contains a percentage of protein similar to fruit juice. We never need a higher percentage of protein in our diet than this. We exceed this percentage several times with our diet of dairy products and animal flesh.

A high protein diet is harmful because it increases the acidic content in our body. To neutralize this acid, calcium is leached from the bones, resulting in osteoporosis. Even though cow’s milk contains a high percentage of calcium our body cannot retain much of it because of its high protein content. Osteoporosis is more prevalent in countries with a high milk intake, like the USA and Sweden.

Gout is clearly linked to a high protein intake.