Published: 08:05 AM, 01 June 2026
Milk Is A Superfood: Celebrating World Milk Day 2026
Abdur Rahman
World Milk Day is an initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to recognize the importance of milk as a super food and to celebrate the dairy sector. The benefits of milk and dairy products have been actively promoted worldwide, including how dairy supports people's livelihoods. The celebration of World Milk Day provides an opportunity to educate people about the nutritional value of milk and its role in a balanced diet. The day has been observed worldwide on June 1 each year since 2001. Every year, different themes were observed during the day. The theme of this year is "Celebrating Women Farmers."
Milk is called a "Superfood," which contains all the essential nutrients for the growth and development of a newborn. Milk is an excellent source of high-quality protein, containing all nine essential amino acids. Milk is the source of all six elements of balanced diet consists of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water. Milk whey proteins have anti-carcinogenic properties, it also contains the essential amino acid Leucine, which provides energy for boosting muscle mass and strengthens during exercise and heavy work. Milk contains lactose, a component that helps develop the brain. The fat content of milk provides calories and contains fat-soluble vitamins. Milk is also an excellent source of calcium, a mineral essential for strong bones and teeth.
Milk is fortified with vitamin D, which is necessary for bone health and immune function and helps the body absorb calcium. Milk is a good source of vitamin B12, which is essential for energy production and nervous system function. Vitamin B12 is a crucial vitamin that is necessary for human health because it affects cell division. Its deficiency may lead to anemia and neuropathy. Milk is a good riboflavin source for energy production, cell function, and healthy eyes and skin. Milk is an excellent source of potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure and muscle function. Milk also contains smaller amounts of vitamins and minerals, including phosphorus, magnesium and selenium.
World milk production is almost entirely derived from cattle, buffaloes, goats, sheep and camels. According to the FAO data, cattle produce 81% of world milk production, buffaloes with 15%, goats with 2%, sheep with 1% and camels provide 0.5%. About one-third of milk production in developing countries comes from buffaloes, goats, camels and sheep. In developed countries, almost all milk is produced by cattle. Milk from dairy species other than cattle represents 40% of milk production in Asia, 23% in Africa, 3% in Europe and 0.5% in the Americas.
Traditionally, milk refers to cow's milk. Goat milk is almost similar in nutrient composition to cow milk but differs in several characteristics. The diameter of the goat milk fat globule is smaller than the cow milk fat globule, which implies that its digestion rate is higher due to its small size. Goat milk contains medium-chain triglycerides that help in nutrient absorption and provide energy to the body. Goat milk also has bioactive components that act as antibodies and help detect antigens and bacterial toxins such as cholera and enterotoxins. They also help maintain cellular interaction. Taurine is a free amino acid in goat milk and plays a vital role in brain development, growth and bile salt formation. Its deficiency causes epilepsy, retarded growth and cardiomyopathy. Goat milk induces fewer allergic reactions in infants than cow milk because it is easily digestible due to its lower percentage of lactose. Oligosaccharides are carbohydrates in goat milk that benefit human nutrition because of their prebiotic and anti-infective properties. CLA (Conjugated linoleic acid) is a bioactive lipid in goat milkt hat has anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory properties because it decreases the production of cytokines, prostaglandins and immunoglobulin associated with atherosclerosis, cancer and irritable bowel disease.
On the other hand, sheep milk contains a higher amount of fat than other dairy mammals. Sheep milk has high solids, fats and conjugated linoleic acid, making it more suitable than other milk for producing high amounts of cheese. Camel milk is called the white gold of the desert. Researchers have found that camel milk improves the chances of recovery for chronic hepatitis-B patients. Camel milk contains lactoferrin protein. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein vital in the host's defense against pathogenic organisms.
Different milk products have been formulated according to consumers choice, such as fermented milk, yogurt, butter, cheese, dried milk, ice cream, condensed milk, low-lactose or lactose-free products, hypoallergenic formulae with hydrolyzed protein for milk-hypersensitive infants, milk products enriched with calcium, vitamins and functional dairy products containing probiotic bacteria. Dairy products such as yogurt, cheese and ice cream contain nutrients such as proteins, vitamins and minerals. Therefore, the consumption of dairy products has been associated with a decreased risk of osteoporosis, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, colorectal cancer, obesity and insulin resistance syndrome. Dairy products are the primary dietary source of calcium and vitamin D. Fermented milk products contain various nutritional components such as bioactive peptides, antioxidants, vitamins, oligosaccharides, organic acids, calcium and conjugated linoleic acid. Many changes occur to the components of milk during fermentation.
It has been proved that fermented milks have a higher nutritional composition than regular milks due to bacterial fermentation (mainly lactic acid bacteria) under controlled conditions. Furthermore, fermented milk has a large variety of flavors resulting from lactic acid production and the presence of specific aromatic components. Acetaldehyde, diacetyl and acetone give a particular flavor to fermented milk. Yogurt contains probiotics that act as an immunomodulator and prevent inflammatory conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease. Yogurt is used for hepatitis and HIV patients and is also beneficial for lactose intolerance patients. Butter is a rich energy source due to its high fat content; it also prevents night blindness because it contains vitamin A. Cheese contains almost the same nutrients in milk, such as protein, fat and minerals. It is the best energy source for underweight people to gain a healthy weight.
We need to catch up with developed countries in terms of milk consumption. More than one kilogram of milk and milk products is consumed daily in wealthy countries such as Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, the United States and Australia. In contrast, Bangladesh consumes substantially less milk and milk products. However, Bangladesh's milk consumption and production are growing at a promising rate. It is observed that countries with higher milk consumption have more Nobel Prize winners. On the other hand, nations with low milk consumption rates have high malnutrition rates and poor literacy. That is, high milk consumption is a regulator of the generation of meritocracy. The celebration of World Milk Day will raise public knowledge of milk nutrition and ensure sustainable dairy nutrition.
Abdur Rahman is a Lecturer in
Department of Dairy Science,
Sher-E-Bangla Agricultural
University, Dhaka.
