In 2016, one university study followed football players and discovered (regardless of concussions) that the players who drank more milk had higher verbal and visual memory than the players who didn’t drink milk. Other studies confirmed similar results showing that milk drinkers consistently have better memory than people who don’t drink milk.

Studies aside, a map of Europe comparing milk-drinking countries with the countries that drink less milk show that people who drink more milk have higher IQs and win more Nobel Prizes. It may be coincidental, but this connection was independently verified in a 2013 study called “Milk, chocolate and Nobel Prizes.” More milk, more smart people.

Some people may deny the connection between milk and greater mental function, but it can hardly be surprising when you look at the array of bioactive compounds and nutrients that are in milk:

1. Protein – Your brain cells communicate via chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, which are made of amino acids, the very same amino acids that are present in milk.

2. Tyrosine – Drinking milk raises the levels of an amino acid called tyrosine, which prompts the brain to manufacture norepinephrine and dopamine, other kinds of chemical messengers in the brain.

3. Fat – The healthy fats in milk, MCTs (medium chain triglycerides) are easier to metabolize and can directly support the brain’s normal energy needs without being stored as fat in the body. Our brains were designed to use fat as our primary fuel source.

4. Cholesterol – Twenty-five percent of the body’s cholesterol is in the brain, and fat is needed for proper brain development. Cholesterol enhances signal transport and the functioning of the synapses of the brain and protects the bioelectrical signals. It also works as an antioxidant to protect brain cells from oxidative damage.

5. Glutathione – Milk drinkers have been found to have higher levels of an antioxidant called glutathione. Glutathione helps stave off oxidative stress, and the resulting damage caused by reactive chemical compounds produced during the normal metabolic process in the brain.

6. B vitamins and B12 – B vitamins are showing positive effects on mental health. Low vitamin B12 is linked to brain atrophy, stunted growth, cognitive impairment, depression, dementia and other mental impairments.

7. Iodine – Dairy foods are among the richest sources of iodine, and it has been shown that people who have less iodine in their diets have lower tests scores. Mothers who have good levels of iodine birth children who are smarter than children from mothers who are iodine deficient.

8. Galactose – One of the sugars in milk is nicknamed the “brain sugar” because it supports the brain development of babies and children. Studies have indicated that the sugar helps trigger long-term memory formation and enhances cellular communication.

All these components, and I’m sure I’m only scratching the surface.

Milk’s prebiotic effect on mental health

While the array of bioactive compounds in milk do contribute positively to good mental health, there is emerging research showing that milk can also have a positive effect on your microbiome (gut).

It’s been found that your brain is only where a portion of your intelligence resides and your “second brain” (gut) houses an equally large portion of your mental capacities. It’s been found that a healthy gut is linked to good mental health. One research study gave mice antibiotics to kill their gut microflora, and the mice without gut bacteria had terrible memory and cognitive function compared with the mice with healthy gut microflora. Gut bacteria are vital for mental health, especially considering 95 percent of serotonin is produced there, along with 30 different neurotransmitters including serotonin, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, dopamine and GABA.

Gut microflora need food to live, and milk provides just that. The free oligosaccharides (sugars), glycoproteins (proteins) and glycolipids (fats) in milk are increasingly being recognized as drivers of microbiota development and overall gut health.

The importance of drinking full-fat milk must be highlighted. Interestingly, many of the triglycerides (fats) in milk are antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal in nature, meaning they promote the good and prevent the bad in your gut. Research has shown that milk fat does have a protective function in the gastrointestinal tract. One study showed that children given low-fat milk had five times the risk of a doctor's visit for acute gastrointestinal illness as the ones drinking whole milk. Reducing dairy fat from our diets here in America has not improved our gut health.

Interestingly, lactose, which is often looked at negatively, is a great prebiotic for your gut microflora. The lactose you don’t use for food, your gut microflora do. It is actual food for your gut.

People may argue you can get similar nutrition from other foods, but what other food can offer important building blocks for your brain and contribute so much to a healthy gut? You can eat buckets of broccoli, but it’s incomparable to the nutrition and brain boost you can get from a single glass of milk.  

Stephen Weststeyn is a California dairy farmer. Read his blog, Dairy Moos.

Read a related post on Stephen Weststeyn’s blog.

PHOTO: llustration courtesy of Thinkstock.