You might have seen headlines claiming that drinking milk could help with anxiety and depression in the news recently. As someone who works with anxiety every day, I'm always interested in research about what helps - but I'm also pretty skeptical of quick fixes.
So let's break this down.
A new study using data from the UK Biobank (that's a massive health research project) followed over 357,000 people for about 13.5 years. Here's what they found:
People who drank semi-skimmed milk had lower rates of both depression and anxiety
Full-fat milk drinkers had lower rates of anxiety
Skimmed milk showed no effect either way
Other types of milk (like plant-based alternatives) were actually linked to higher rates of depression
Sounds promising, right? It would be easy to leap to the conclusions (as some newspaper reports did) that "having semi-skimmed milk in tea reduces anxiety and depression")... but the reality is rarely that simply, and here's where we need to think critically about what this data actually shows.
Correlation vs. Causation
Correlation means that we have Fact A and Fact B at the same time. Like "Bob puts full fat milk in his tea" and "Bob doesn't have anxiety". Two facts... independent of each other. Causation means Fact A causes Fact B (or vice versa). This is what "Bob doesn't have anxiety because he puts full fat milk in his tea." We're saying that these two facts are related - but what's the evidence for that? Just because milk drinkers had less anxiety doesn't mean the milk caused less anxiety. Maybe people who regularly buy and drink milk have more stable routines, better nutrition overall, or more disposable income for healthy food. Maybe people who drink plant based milk are more worried about their health and the impact of intensive farming, meaning they feel more depressed and anxious. Or maybe they're depressed and anxious because the alternative milk is expensive!
Limitations
This study was done in here in the UK, where dairy is a huge part of the diet. Results might be different in cultures with different eating patterns or where lactose intolerance is more common.
The Reality Check
If fixing anxiety was as simple as switching to semi-skimmed milk, I'd be out of a job! Generally, mental health is multi-facted and complex, and isn't fixed with switching up your tea!
What This Actually Means For Humans
If you enjoy milk and it's part of your healthy diet, great! But don't expect it to be a magic bullet for anxiety or depression. Good nutrition is just one piece of the mental health puzzle, alongside things like:
Proper therapeutic support
Stress management
Regular exercise
Good sleep habits
Social connections (without living in your social media accounts!)
My Professional Take
While this research is interesting, I'd be very cautious about making any big dietary changes based on it alone. If you're struggling with anxiety or depression, work with a mental health professional who can help you develop a comprehensive approach to feeling better.
And remember - if someone tries to sell you on any single "cure" for anxiety or depression (whether it's milk or anything else), keep walking. Your mental health deserves more than a quick fix.
Need help developing real strategies for managing anxiety? That's what I'm here for - and I promise not to prescribe any specific type of milk!
Find the study referred to here in the Frontiers Of Nutrition journal: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1435435/full
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