This is topic My Friend aims to drink 15 gallons of milk in the next 7 days; health concerns? in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.
My friend is the type of person that thinks he's right a lot of the time, and when someone says he can't do something he aims to prove them wrong. He generally doesn't do incredibly stupid things though.
Starting Saturday (2/16) until the end of Friday (2/22) he intends to consume 15 gallons of milk. Obviously, that's a lot of milk. Worried mother figures aside, we've been hard pressed to find any sources about how potent this may be to the human body. So I've figured Hatrackers usually have knowledgeable input. Apart from an upset stomach, small weight gain, or general uncomfortableness, are there any serious health concerns that we should consider? Poisoning? Becoming lactose intolerant? Messing up your stomach for good? Dying?
He'll be drinking the milk as evenly spaced as he can, and we've advised him to drink maybe a glass or two of water or a gatorade like liquid a day as well. He'll still be eating (although less than normal of course).
If anyone has any recommendations or warnings, I'd be more than happy to pass them on to him. Thanks.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
He'll be fine, I think.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
My question is: "Why?"
Posted by orlox (Member # 2392) on :
I drink 1 gallon/day as a matter of course, and have done so for years.
There is a report around around somewhere that milk consumption correlates with Parkinson's Disease but not in 2 week time frames. Posted by Hamson (Member # 7808) on :
Why? Because he doesn't think it'll be that bad, but everyone else thinks it will be really hard. He's convinced he drinks a lot everyday anyway, so it'll be cool to him to say he did something that a lot of people would look at him crazyily for.
Thanks for the relpies so far guys. I'll pass it on that you drink 1 gallon a day right now, Orlox.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I'd worry about milk-alkali syndrome, even at 2 gallons/day. It can set in within a week of starting the overingestion. [this used to happen when people treated ulcers by drinking a lot of milk]
If he goes into kidney failure, he should be sure to tell (or have someone else tell) any healthcare providers about his recent milk intake.
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Edited to add
My take: dumb idea, dumb reason, makes him look like no more than a kid who just wants attention. However, we all make our own decisions.
And even if the numbers look like a safe range, you never know in advance how well his kidneys will function under an unusual environment. YMMV.
Drinking 2 gallons of milk a day is an unusual environment and a stress on the kidneys, especially as they are processing an extra protein load. Too much calcium mucks with the parathyroid hormone axis and can lead to all sorts of endocrine and kidney issues, and the kidneys would already be working overtime on the protein. I suppose he could come out of it with no longstanding problems, but he could also come out of it with some definite longstanding problems. Why bother? Get a job, get a hobby, get positive attention for doing something well that is hard to do, not for a silly stunt.
[ February 15, 2008, 04:08 PM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
(And those potential longstanding problems are not cool and dramatic ones like getting poisoned and spending a night in the ER, or death as young man with a pretty corpse for the funeral. It's more like potential kidney failure with the need for dialysis, which often means being bloated, in pain, hernias, itching, erectile dysfunction, recurrent infections, etc. Check out BlackBlade's recent thread on his sister's wait for a kidney transplant.
Or, I suppose, it could work out much better than that, and just end up a silly prank. Either way, it's not the sort of thing I'd admire someone for doing.)
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I think 2 gallons of milk a day is a bad idea as well. If my mother were here, she would predict that he gives himself diabetes.
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
*must resist witty comment on CT's post*
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
No skin off my nose, Blayne. I've said my piece, and I don't much care what else happens.
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
Common Blayne... give in to the dark side!
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
You're a bit of a rabble rouser these days Telp.
Besides, we've seen Blayne in camo. He clothes himself in the dark side.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Can he do it? Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind.
Is it incredibly stupid? Yes.
It's not even cool. Really, I'd be more impressed if he learned how to make cheese or something rather than waste all that milk.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I forgot to ask before. Is he actually going to drink it? Or is he going to drink it?
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
Edited at Lytharns adive.
[ February 15, 2008, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: Blayne Bradley ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I'd consider editing that out Blayne. I know you were kidding but, I think that was unintentionally rude.
And I don't think it was approbate at all.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
M.I.L.F.
Milk Ingestion Looses Flatulence
Posted by MrSquicky (Member # 1802) on :
I'd considering editing it out because it makes you look incredibly immature. It's like laughing at yourself saying "boobies".
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
I'm not a mother, so the term is not even potentially applicable. Probably even more relevant is that neither the OP nor his friend know me, and I'm sure neither has the slightest desire to impress me, regardless.
---
Thanks for the thoughtfulness, Lyrhawn.
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
edited.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:And I don't think it was approbate at all.
Or appropriate, for that matter.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
(Thanks, Blayne. )
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
M.I.L.K.
May I Loft the Kite?
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I'm already going through almost a gallon a day for myself and two kids, my head reels at the idea of one person more than doubling our consumption. I'm assuming he's going to be buying it in smaller quantities and frequently (like daily) rather than buying it all on one trip.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Jon Boy:
quote:And I don't think it was approbate at all.
Or appropriate, for that matter.
That was much more funny when his original post was still there.
You're welcome CT . The idea that someone would have no better or other reason to want to impress you than that just boggles the mind.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
The idea that someone would want to impress me boggles my mind. How very sweet that the idea was even considered, even as a joke.
Excuse me now whilst I go creak up the stairs and rearrange my hairbun in the upstairs parlour.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Don't forget to change your Oops I Crapped My Pants.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Obviously the milk is unhealthy. There simply isn't enough chocolate in it. Tell him to switch it up with some chocolate milk, that should help.
Posted by orlox (Member # 2392) on :
This whole milk thread is whey close to being spoiled. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I think the whole thread is udderly ruined.
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
I guess I missed Blayne's post. Did he want to curdle up with CT or something?
Posted by orlox (Member # 2392) on :
He can't seem to get past her eyes.
Pour kid.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
It was good that Lyrhawn was there to heifer. Blayne tends to jump the gun instead of keeping it in his holstein.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
I've been told that attempting to drink an entire gallon of milk in a single sitting almost invariably causes vomiting. I don't know about 2 gallons over the course of 24 hours.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sterling: I've been told that attempting to drink an entire gallon of milk in a single sitting almost invariably causes vomiting. I don't know about 2 gallons over the course of 24 hours.
15gallons of milk per week is 5623Calories per day, which is ~2.5to3 times as many Calories as most men need. Just to make it simple (and generous), let's assume your friend needs 2000Calories. That means he is going to be drinking 3623Calories more than his body needs to fuel itself. Assuming of course that he doesn't eat anything else.
A moderately-paced walk burns ~82Calories per mile. Your friend would have to walk 44.2miles per day more than he normally does to burn off those extra Calories, which would take 14hours43minutes40seconds. Leaving 9hours16minutes20seconds per day for sleeping, showering, and other normal activities. (no eating) Or if he wants to spend less time exercising, he could triple his speed and run ~30.9miles in 3hours26minutes. A marathon is only 26.2miles. So that's more than 8 marathons in a week. Somehow I doubt that he's gonna put in more than twice as many miles per week than what's on the training schedule of a top professional marathoner.
Check out about 37minutes into Supersize Me for the first weigh-in after he begins his McDonalds pigout. Expect the same weight gain or more for your friend.
I've a feeling that there's more stuff wrong about the 2+gallon per day milk diet concerning excess mineral&vitamin levels, etc... ...but I'll hafta remember some usefully limiting keywords in order to google the accuracy of what I almost remember.
[ February 16, 2008, 10:49 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
He could reduce the fat issue by going with skim...
Not that that would help much. It's still a pretty stupid move. aspectre's calculations don't even take into account anything else your friend might eat during the week, but which will add to the calories.
For comparison, 3500 kcal = 1 pound of fat. That is, your friend can expect to put on 1-2 pounds of fat per day during the week, depending on what else he eats and how sedentary the overdose of milk makes him.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I think someone's been watching too much Cool Hand Luke. Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
BTW: 1kcal = 1kilocalorie = 1000calories = 1Calorie which is why I capitalized. When you read diet books or nutrition labels, the "calorie" they're misusing really means kilocalorie or Calorie.
Posted by Sergeant (Member # 8749) on :
Also, with milk prices being what they are I think I could find something more productive to do with $60.
Sergeant
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Vitamin D toxicity is probably the one to be worried about, since milk is fortified with vitamin D and it can cause serious problems in overdose.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
quote:it'll be cool to him to say he did something that a lot of people would look at him crazyily for.
Probably the most idiotic thing I've ever heard. Sorry for unedited opinion. Your friend of course may do what he wants.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
is he at least going to eat some cookies?
Posted by orlox (Member # 2392) on :
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
My 11 year old predicts he will die within one day.
Posted by Little_Doctor (Member # 6635) on :
I've tried the gallon challenge on a couple of occasions. I made it through one time, but I was told the rule is you have to hold it down for a whole minute after you finish and there was a slight problem there.
For the record, the gallon challenge is trying to drink a gallon of whole milk in one hour.
Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
I've always wanted to try the gallon challenge...
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Why? There are better things to do with milk. Like drink it in a normal way with cake or cookies limiting oneself to a 16 oz glass.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I am wholly sure we must stop these cowardly attempts to sour the thread.
As an aside is it bad form to use italics or bold text to help readers catch the puns in one's post?
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
I predict that he'll wind up lactose intolerant.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
Or a leg man.
I agree, BB. A pox upon them!
quote: Effects due to hypercalcemia may be remembered by bones, stones, groans and psychiatric undertones.
From CT's wiki link. I love mnemonics.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Correction because it's the excess Calories that matter most inregard to weight-gain, Hamson's friend would be taking in 25% more excess Calories than the Supersize Me guy. And I made a couple of similar corrections on my previous posting cuz I messed up copying while calculating walking time, then made a logic-mistake inregard to running time.
Just to add on to Claudia Therese and ElJay's warnings... ...Hypercalcemia could also be induced and/or intensified by vitaminA poisoning and vitaminD poisoning beyond that caused by excess calcium alone. The liver can store a lot of fat-soluable vitamins. And that's where the excess intake goes at first. But when the storage space is filled up, or when the intake rate overwhelms the storage rate, things can go reallyBADreally fast.
Bones : Weakening due to increased Calcium withdrawal; increased porosity Blood : Increased Calcium and Phosphorus concentration Nervous System : Loss of appetite; headache; weakness; Excessive thirst; irritability. GastroIntestinal Tract : Constipation Excretory System : Increased excretion of Calcium in Urine, kidney stones; irreversible kidney damage. Tissues : Calcification of soft tissues (blood vessels, kidneys, heart, lungs, tissues around joints), and death. Blood vessels : plaque-deposition (which can make it easier for blood-clot formation to occur, which in turn could lead to stroke) Muscle : Cramping and weakness Skin : Jaundice Eyes : Jaundice, glaucoma (from increased blood pressure), temporary blindness, blindness
Then there is hypomagnesia and similar hypo____ induced by too high a ratio of calcium/phosphorus/etc to other vital minerals/etc. The thing about vitamin/mineral/salt intake is that it's all about balance: too much of one or some can cause severe depletions (or the same effect as severe depletions) in others.
Frankly, I think that the FDA would not allow any clinical trial study concerning such a high excess intake of milk for being much too dangerous for the amount of knowlege that could be gained.
[ February 16, 2008, 11:22 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Hamson (Member # 7808) on :
Ok, thanks for the medical advice. We knew drinking that much milk wouldn't be good for you, but since it can get that bad in theory, we'll tell him to stop. Death is not a good thing.
Posted by Milkman08 (Member # 11492) on :
Well, I finished and nothing bad happened to me.
I'd say that it is safe to do BUT i wouldn't advise it because its too time consuming and its not exactly "normally" clocked into your body.
Posted by Launchywiggin (Member # 9116) on :
Wow, milkman. Wow.
Posted by EmpSquared (Member # 10890) on :
Hey Milkman,
Post again in a few days. Just so we know.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Milkman08: I finished and nothing bad happened to me.
I'd say that it is safe to do
Does not compute.
Posted by Milkman08 (Member # 11492) on :
Im still alive and as an added bonus i dont have any internal impairments.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
1) Many of the concerns people warned you about do not have immediate symptoms. Unless you had an MRI done since you pulled this stunt, or at least extensive blood work, I don't know how you can say you "dont have any internal impairments" with any degree of confidence.
2) Assuming you are correct, and you managed to do something stupid without any negative effects (which I am not convinced of), that does not make it safe in general. Not every single idiot who drives drunk ends up killing someone. That doesn't make drunk driving safe.
Posted by steven (Member # 8099) on :
I actually survived for several months during summer 2005 on basically nothing but raw goat milk/cheese/yogurt. I did eat ceviche on the weekends. I actually felt pretty good, overall, but it was raw milk from healthy animals, not pasteurized homogenized nastiness from animals on hormones and full-time antibiotics. The Masai of East Africa would drink, in some cases, a half-gallon or more of raw milk a day, and they had excellent health.
Posted by Milkman08 (Member # 11492) on :
Yeah rivka I'd say you're right on part 2. Not everyone would have the stomach capacity to pull it off. And they could end up very sick. However, maybe all those things people said COULD happen but honestly your body gets in a cycle and i doubt it absorbs all of the vitamins and minerals and stuff. I was going to the bathroom about once an hour like clockwork. that means the liquids were going through me in an hour ... thats not necessarily normal when you drink a glass of juice or anything.
Also, those things are worse case senarios. I didnt hear anything good that could come from this ... Examples: Very strong bones and teeth. Muscle during it or after the fact because i worked out. Cleansed bowels because of all the liquids. Everyone was so cynical and i had a pretty good idea of what i was getting myself into. Although i liked the part about the weight. I did in fact gain 10-15 pounds. I've lost about 5 but who knows how much turned to muscle. And i felt i was in need of a little weight gain anyway (i wasn't worried about it)
In the end i dont feel it was stupid. It was just a fun little bet for me to prove to all the "non-believers" and i knew what i was capable of. I knew i could down a 16oz glass of chocolate milk and not be full. Therefore i knew i could do it constantly with equal breaks inbetween each glass. And im still ok 2 weeks or so later.
*If you can't imagine yourself drinking this amount do not attempt it. Again I would not advise anyone to do this because it is not very fun once into it. You crave real food (i did eat a good balanced but small Dinner a day and breakfast[cereal]) and you can't really do anything for a week cuz u need a fridge and milk.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Dude, you're desperate enough for attention that you not only pulled a stupid stunt that wasn't even fun, but you registered on an internet forum for apparently the sole purpose of arguing with people about it. Don't you have better things to do with your time?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Well now that this milk thing is over, he probably has some free time on his hands.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote:I knew i could down a 16oz glass of chocolate milk and not be full. Therefore i knew i could do it constantly with equal breaks inbetween each glass.
You realize this doesn't actually logically follow, right?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Milkman08: that means the liquids were going through me in an hour ... thats not necessarily normal when you drink a glass of juice or anything.
Wanna bet? Better yet, how about you learn a bit more about how your digestive system works.
Considering that except for the weight, most of the realistic harmful effects (such as kidney or other organ damage) would have no immediate noticeable symptoms, I still don't know what makes you so sure you didn't do anything harmful to your body. Two weeks is nothing.
And ElJay's right.
Posted by just_me (Member # 3302) on :
quote:The Masai of East Africa would drink, in some cases, a half-gallon or more of raw milk a day, and they had excellent health.
You do realize that a half-gallon a day is a lot less than the 2+ gallons a day it takes to drink 15 gallons in 7 days, right?
That pesky little factor of 4 can make a HUGE difference.
Posted by The Genuine (Member # 11446) on :
I've attempted the milk challenge (a gallon in 1 hour).
I failed. Got about 3/4 through though. The thing is, it curdles when it hits the acid in your stomach, so it's not like you just have pure liquid floating around down there.
The vomit strongly resembles cottage cheese.
Posted by Milkman08 (Member # 11492) on :
quote:Originally posted by ElJay: Dude, you're desperate enough for attention that you not only pulled a stupid stunt that wasn't even fun, but you registered on an internet forum for apparently the sole purpose of arguing with people about it. Don't you have better things to do with your time?
Aren't you doing the same thing? Apparently you have nothing better to do. I wasn't arguing I was agreeing with him but also just saying what i went through. My purpose was not to argure, it was to say i was done and alive. I also don't think you understand that this was a bet made ONE YEAR ago. I haven't had time until then/now to actually do it. So if what i want to do with my time is something I THINK will be fun - to prove to everybody that it is POSSIBLE to do (because thats what the bet was) when everyone thinks it isnt - then you shouldn't be criticizing it. And i said that it wasn't fun WHILE i was doing it. It was fun in the sense that I proved that it was possible to do.
If you think it was a stupid stunt so be it but I knew what i was capable of and to me it was perfectly safe. I had a schedual layed out and everything. I thought it through. And as for time, it really doesnt take long to type anything in. NOW im argueing. Happy?
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote:I had a schedual layed out and everything. I thought it through.
You didn't think it through; you simply scheduled it. There's a difference.
Posted by Milkman08 (Member # 11492) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka:
quote:Originally posted by Milkman08: that means the liquids were going through me in an hour ... thats not necessarily normal when you drink a glass of juice or anything.
Wanna bet? Better yet, how about you learn a bit more about how your digestive system works.
Considering that except for the weight, most of the realistic harmful effects (such as kidney or other organ damage) would have no immediate noticeable symptoms, I still don't know what makes you so sure you didn't do anything harmful to your body. Two weeks is nothing.
So you are saying that 30 years from now when im about 50 I will get kidney failure out of nowhere from drinking a large amount of a nonharmful substance in a week when i was about 18. Considering how much people go out and consume alcohol on a daily or weekly basis in large quantities within a night and dont get anything more than a night near the toilet I'm pretty sure im safe. Something like organ damage would be pretty noticable. I dont think my body will all of a sudden one day in the future be like:
"ooo remember that milk you drank a few years back? yeah well the other organs and I just noticed it and we think we aren't going to function properly anymore."
Why would it take years for it to happen or for me to notice if everything is functioning properly right now 2 weeks after the fact? Are you a doctor? Do you know my body better than I do? I'm pretty sure I know how my digestive system works and I dont normally go to the bathroom an hour after i drink a glass of liquid. I eat cereal in the morning before school with like at least 16oz of milk added up and i don't go to the bathroom until shortly after lunch (5+ hours later) or until I get home (7+ hours later).
Posted by Milkman08 (Member # 11492) on :
No Tom "i thought it through" wasnt being applied to the schedual. It was by itself.
Posted by Threads (Member # 10863) on :
Your arguments are littered with logic flaws.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Did you at least get money to do that, Milkdood?
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
quote:Originally posted by Milkman08: ... Considering how much people go out and consume alcohol on a daily or weekly basis in large quantities within a night ...
Ummm, Milkman, who cares when you go to the bathroom? So what? That doesn't matter at all--it just means the water in the milk processes quickest. It's the other ingredients that your liver, kidneys and digestive system have to deal with that have the potential for harm like hypercalcemia. As a doctor pointed out earlier in the thread, so don't bother with the "are you a doctor" card.
quote:Originally posted by Milkman08: Considering that except for the weight, most of the realistic harmful effects (such as kidney or other organ damage) would have no immediate noticeable symptoms, I still don't know what makes you so sure you didn't do anything harmful to your body. Two weeks is nothing. So you are saying that 30 years from now when im about 50 I will get kidney failure out of nowhere from drinking a large amount of a nonharmful substance in a week when i was about 18.
Water is a "non-harmful substance", but drinking too much water can have serious, even fatal effects through messing with your electrolyte balance. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
But I'm sure you knew that, since you know your body and it's cellular workings better than anyone.
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How very sweet that the idea was even considered, even as a joke.![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
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