# Milk addiction?



## AlisonM (Apr 27, 2010)

Just out of curiosity, how many of us have been milk addicts? And does anyone know why?

How much is too much? For instance I was getting through two litres a day before I was diagnosed.


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## rachelha (Apr 27, 2010)

I dont like milk, I only have a tiny bit in coffee/tea and just enough to wet my cereal.


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## Steff (Apr 27, 2010)

I like milk but i drink more water then milk these days, even before diagnosis i was not drinking alot, i find it does not  quench my thirst half a glass a day is enough for me and on my weetabix


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## sofaraway (Apr 27, 2010)

I don't like to drink milk, I will only have it on cereals occsionally. Milk is not something that we buy when we got shopping as a regular thing, will have a specififc use in mind if we buy it.


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## Caroline (Apr 27, 2010)

I have a splsh of skimmed milk on my tea and some on my cereals. I do sometimes buy a small bottle of whole milk to drink, but it is a treat and only fancy it once in a while. Since hubby has a dairy intolerance I also buy soys for baking and making sauces with.


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## numbnuts (Apr 27, 2010)

yes i was drinking way too much milk before diagnosis - 2 litre usually each day.


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## Northerner (Apr 27, 2010)

I was drinking between four and six pints of milk a day before diagnosis. I drank it because it was nice and cool and had flavour rather than water. It still didn't quite quench my thirst though!

Since diagnosis I don't drink it on its own as it would raise my levels  I still have it in tea and on cereal. I've only drunk skimmed milk for years now - once you get used to it even 1% milk tastes too fatty!


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## Caroline (Apr 27, 2010)

Northerner said:


> I've only drunk skimmed milk for years now - once you get used to it even 1% milk tastes too fatty!



I notice that even with a splash of semiskimmed milk in my tea instead of skimmed milk.


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## Andy HB (Apr 27, 2010)

In my teens I used to have a pint of cold milk (full fat) after a session of squash (the sport, not the drink!).

These days, I find that it gives me stomach ache if I try and drink that much in one go.

Now, I'm a semi-skimmed type of person usually on porridge and in coffee/tea and get through a pint or so every two or three days.

Don't see the point of skimmed milk! It's just white water as far as I'm concerned!! 

Andy


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## Keaver (Apr 27, 2010)

Love milk but never over indulged prior to diagnosis.

Don't drink it at all now, just a dash of semi skimmed for my cereal.

Tap water all the way baby!


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## Emmal31 (Apr 27, 2010)

I like a glass of semi skinned milk occasionally but like others have said it doesn't quench your thirst x


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## PhilT (Apr 27, 2010)

I have always loved drinking milk nice and cold in the summer.

I don't drink it much any more as it gives me sinus though.


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## Peter C (Apr 27, 2010)

Emmal31 said:


> I like a glass of semi skinned milk occasionally but like others have said it doesn't quench your thirst x



Milk is addictive because its main component, casein, breaks down with digestion into an opiate called casomorphine. Stimulates the pleasure centres of the brain. Cheese is  addictive for the same reason and so is milk chocolate.

Although it is surprising to hear T1s say they are addicted to milk because exposure to cows milk  is thought to be a trigger for T1 diabetes.


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## D_G (Apr 27, 2010)

Thought it was just me at the time! but yea before diagnosis had a massive craving would drink at least 2 pints a day!!


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## rachelha (Apr 27, 2010)

Peter C said:


> Milk is addictive because its main component, casein, breaks down with digestion into an opiate called casomorphine. Stimulates the pleasure centres of the brain. Cheese is  addictive for the same reason and so is milk chocolate.
> 
> Although it is surprising to hear T1s say they are addicted to milk because exposure to cows milk  is thought to be a trigger for T1 diabetes.



Now I have justification for my cheese addiction there will be no stopping me.  Especially as it is carb free - pity about the calories and cholesterol.


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## Peter C (Apr 27, 2010)

rachelha said:


> Now I have justification for my cheese addiction there will be no stopping me.  Especially as it is carb free - pity about the calories and cholesterol.



Stick to chocolate - it has the same chemical in that is released in the brain during orgasm - may be that's why some women say they would prefer a box of chocolates


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## HelenP (Apr 27, 2010)

Peter C said:


> Milk is addictive because its main component, casein, breaks down with digestion into an opiate called casomorphine. Stimulates the pleasure centres of the brain. Cheese is  addictive for the same reason and so is milk chocolate.



I NEVER knew that about milk and cheese!!  My son eats TONS of cheese!!  And ALWAYS ALWAYS has a glass of milk after eating chocolate.  Obviously the chocolate's not enough for him on it's own, lol. 

xx


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## margie (Apr 27, 2010)

I wouldn't say it was a milk addiction but I was drinking more milk prior to diagnosis, but it was deliberate. I was aware I was losing weight and was concerned that could mean calcium loss from my bones - so I was drinking the milk to protect my bones - if that makes sense.  At least it was a bette choice than lots of full sugar lemonade.


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## Northerner (Apr 27, 2010)

margie said:


> I wouldn't say it was a milk addiction but I was drinking more milk prior to diagnosis, but it was deliberate. I was aware I was losing weight and was concerned that could mean calcium loss from my bones - so I was drinking the milk to protect my bones - if that makes sense.  At least it was a bette choice than lots of full sugar lemonade.



I actually thought along similar lines. A couple of years earlier my right femur snapped during a marathon and I thought that the desire for milk was my body's way of letting me know I needed more calcium to build stronger bones.


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## bev (Apr 27, 2010)

Peter C said:


> Milk is addictive because its main component, casein, breaks down with digestion into an opiate called casomorphine. Stimulates the pleasure centres of the brain. Cheese is  addictive for the same reason and so is milk chocolate.
> 
> Although it is surprising to hear T1s say they are addicted to milk because exposure to cows milk  is thought to be a trigger for T1 diabetes.




It is one of the *5* triggers that they *think* adds to why someone becomes type 1.Bev


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## rossi_mac (Apr 28, 2010)

Blimey every day is a school day ehy!

Wouldn't say I was addicted to anything 

Used to drink a fair amount (I thought) of milk a pint or so but haven't had a glass for ages, just in tea and porridge these days. Interesting about cheese cheers Peter!


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## Monica (Apr 28, 2010)

Peter C said:


> Milk is addictive because its main component, casein, breaks down with digestion into an opiate called casomorphine. Stimulates the pleasure centres of the brain. Cheese is  addictive for the same reason and so is milk chocolate.
> 
> I'm not the diabetic in our family, but I thought I'd answer anyway. I don't drink milk as a drink very often. Once in a blue moon in winter I might have a hot milk and honey or a hot ovaltine (ooooh, milk and chocolate!!). I only have milk on my muesli nowadays. As a child I used to get up in the middle of the night though and drink milk straight out of the carton.
> 
> My diabetic daughter is addicted to cheese. Maybe that's the case because she is a very fussy eater and she knows that cheese is free for a snack.


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## AlisonM (Apr 28, 2010)

Northerner said:


> I actually thought along similar lines. A couple of years earlier my right femur snapped during a marathon and I thought that the desire for milk was my body's way of letting me know I needed more calcium to build stronger bones.



Me too! There's a history of osteo-arthritis in my family and I was aware that women of a certain age are prone to a loss of calcium in their bones, so I put my craving down to that.

Thanks for that little titbit Peter, I didn't know that before.


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## FM001 (Apr 28, 2010)

I drank a pint of milk every day with my lunch, as my mother encouraged us to drink milk as children, this stayed with me until I was diagnosed with diabetes aged 20.  I just loved the taste, especially when drank ice-cold from the fridge.  Could I ask why you are curious about peoples milk intake prior to diabetes, is their some correlation between drinking milk and diabetes, or this just as you say 'curiosity'?  Toby.


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## AlisonM (Apr 28, 2010)

I just noticed on another thread a few folk mentioning how much milk they drank and got interested because I thought it was just me and there did seem to be a link, at least superficially. I mean, I've always loved the stuff, but it was only in the few months before I was diagnosed that I began drinking around 2 litres per day. Just call me the Elephant's Child.


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## Northerner (Apr 28, 2010)

toby said:


> I drank a pint of milk every day with my lunch, as my mother encouraged us to drink milk as children, this stayed with me until I was diagnosed with diabetes aged 20.  I just loved the taste, especially when drank ice-cold from the fridge.  Could I ask why you are curious about peoples milk intake prior to diabetes, is their some correlation between drinking milk and diabetes, or this just as you say 'curiosity'?  Toby.



It stemmed from another thread Toby, where people discovered they weren't alone in glugging milk by the gallon prior to diagnosis


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## squidge63 (Apr 28, 2010)

I have loved milk since I took it in a bottle as a baby lol... In my 20's up to when I was diagnosed I could get through a 2L carton of milk easily.. since diagnosis I find I don't tolerate it as much now.. I did slow down drinking full fat milk and went down to skimmed as I found too much milk set my excema off.. I don't like skimmed milk anymore as after drinking a glass or having it on cereal it left a horrible after taste so I have gone back to either semi skimmed or Moo 1% milk. before diagnosis I would drink anything I could lay my hands on...


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## FM001 (Apr 28, 2010)

Thanks for the explanation Alison/Northerner.  Is this thread still available, as I would like to view it if possible.  Over the years I have gone through my mind what possible factor could have led to my diabetes, as no one in my family had ever had the condition, at least not to my knowledge anyway.  I do remember about 10-15 years ago there was a article suggesting that cows milk could be a possible cause of the increase in diabetes, but like many such stories, it was soon dismissed and forgotten about in time.  Toby.


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## Northerner (Apr 28, 2010)

toby said:


> Thanks for the explanation Alison/Northerner.  Is this thread still available, as I would like to view it if possible.  Over the years I have gone through my mind what possible factor could have led to my diabetes, as no one in my family had ever had the condition, at least not to my knowledge anyway.  I do remember about 10-15 years ago there was a article suggesting that cows milk could be a possible cause of the increase in diabetes, but like many such stories, it was soon dismissed and forgotten about in time.  Toby.



It cropped up in this discussion:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=8044


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