Should milk be drunk in the morning or night? Expert reveals best drinking times for blood sugar control

According to a report by the mainland media outlet Life Times, in daily diet, milk is absolutely recognized as a nutritional treasure. Many people wonder: should milk be drunk in the morning or at night to maximize its benefits? In fact, for healthy people without lactose intolerance symptoms, there is no strict time restriction on drinking milk. Li Yongjin, a member of the Nutrition and Chronic Disease Control Branch of the Chinese Nutrition Society, states that whether in the morning, at night, or as a snack between meals, it is all fine. The most critical thing is to take in enough every day—300 to 500 grams daily. However, for most city dwellers, having milk at breakfast is definitely a healthier choice.

He explains that Chinese breakfasts are mostly based on steamed buns, congee, or noodles, with extremely low proportions of meat, eggs, and milk, belonging to a typical high-carbohydrate, low-protein diet. After large amounts of carbohydrates enter the body, blood sugar easily fluctuates dramatically, rising rapidly and then suddenly dropping. Many people feel palpitations and hungry around 10 a.m., with worse energy and extreme sleepiness during work or study. Over the long term, this also increases oxidative stress in the body and raises the risk of multiple chronic diseases.

4 Major Health Benefits of Drinking Milk

If milk is used to replace part of the carbohydrates at breakfast, the body will gain the following 4 benefits:

1. More Stable Post-Meal Blood Sugar Response

Some people worry that the lactose in milk will cause blood sugar spikes. In fact, lactose is different from white sugar (sucrose), glucose, or maltose. Its blood sugar response is very slow, even much slower than foods such as rice and white flour, and can basically be ignored. Studies have confirmed that drinking milk with oatmeal at breakfast not only significantly lowers post-meal blood sugar levels, but its blood sugar-stabilizing effect can even last until after lunch.

2. Stronger Satiety

Milk is rich in high-quality protein. When protein enters the digestive system, it sends satiety signals to the brain, helping improve morning mood. The tyrosine it contains can also promote the body's secretion of dopamine and adrenaline, making brain thinking sharper. Studies found that people who consume dairy products at breakfast can maintain higher levels of satiety-regulating hormones within 5 hours after the meal, greatly reducing the urge to snack in between, which is extremely helpful for weight control.

3. Protecting Bones and Muscles

After drinking milk, essential amino acids in plasma are immediately supplemented. These amino acids are important raw materials for muscle synthesis and repair. At the same time, serum calcium levels rise accordingly, and bone resorption-related markers decrease, which has positive significance for maintaining bone density.

4. Extremely High Nutrient Density

Besides high-quality protein and calcium, fresh milk is also rich in potassium, magnesium, and various vitamins such as vitamin A, D, and B12. Its nutrient density is extremely high, and one cup can instantly improve the overall quality of breakfast.

4 Groups of People Suited to Drinking Milk in the Morning

Li Yongjin states that the following four groups of people are especially suited to drinking milk in the morning:

1. People Short on Time in the Morning

Office workers and students who are rushed and often eat breakfast perfunctorily. Just one cup of milk with a boiled egg, toast, and a few cherry tomatoes or lettuce can create a nutritionally balanced meal in just a few minutes.

2. People Controlling Blood Sugar or Losing Weight

Leveraging milk's effects of stabilizing blood sugar and extending satiety helps control total daily calorie intake.

3. People Building Muscle

Supplementing high-quality protein at breakfast can lay a good foundation for the whole day's muscle synthesis, achieving twice the result with half the effort in muscle building.

4. Middle-Aged and Elderly People

Increasing intake of high-quality protein and calcium at breakfast is the simplest and most feasible way to slow muscle loss and protect bone health.

Lactose Intolerance/Dislike the Taste of Milk? Check the "Dairy Exchange Golden Ratio"

If you do not like the taste of milk, or have lactose intolerance, you can completely replace it with yogurt, milk powder, or cheese. It should be noted that when choosing substitutes, try to choose varieties with no added sugar or low sugar:

• Fresh milk: 100 g

• Yogurt: 100 g

• Milk powder: 12.5 g

• Dried cheese: 10 g

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