How Safe Is 0 Percent Fat Milk To Drink?

Conventional wisdom suggests that milk can play an important role in a healthy, balanced diet. However, a 1 cup serving of whole milk has 146 calories and provides almost 23 percent of the daily value of saturated fat, according to Calorie Lab. If you follow the 2010 dietary guidelines of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and drink your recommended 3 cups of milk daily, you'll get nearly 70 percent of the daily value of fat from your whole milk alone.

Nutrition

Milk provides a unique blend of nutrients essential for growth and development. One cup of milk has about 16 percent of the daily value of protein, 10 percent of potassium, 18 percent of B12 and 28 percent of calcium. Milk is usually fortified with vitamin D, which helps form a hormone, calcitriol, necessary for your body to absorb the calcium. One cup of milk typically provides about 24 percent of the daily value of vitamin D.

Health Benefits

Milk and milk products contribute to bone growth and health, particularly in children and adolescents, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A study published in the September 2002 "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that children who chronically avoided drinking cow's milk had low dietary calcium, poor bone health and smaller stature.The U.S.D.A. recommends children 9 to 18 years of age drink 3 cups per day, children 4 to 8 years drink 2 1/2 cups and 2- to 3-year-olds drink 2 cups to obtain sufficient calcium and vitamin D. Milk consumption also might reduce risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

Saturated Fat

The relatively high amount of saturated fat in whole milk might place you at risk for several adverse medical conditions, particularly if you also get saturated fat from other sources during the day. Saturated fat increases LDL cholesterol -- the bad cholesterol -- and heightens your risk for heart disease. Even if your cholesterol isn't high, saturated fat can disrupt insulin function, which in turn can heighten your risk for diabetes, ovarian disorder, cancer and other health problems, according to MSNBC. However, whole milk consumption is associated with higher blood levels of a substance, trans-palmitoleate, which might decrease the risk of insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and diabetes, according to the December 2010 "Annals of Internal Medicine." Further research must be done to determine the net health effects of the fats in whole milk.

Advantages of Non-Fat Milk

Nonfat milk provides essentially the same nutrition as whole milk, but provides 40 percent fewer calories and instead of 23 percent, a 1 cup serving provides less than 2 percent of the daily value of saturated fats. Virtual elimination of the saturated fats in skim milk essentially eliminates the risks associated with the fats in whole milk.

Milk Dangers

Nonfat milk doesn't contribute to any health risks that aren't also associated with whole milk. Cow's milk doesn't contain pesticides or antibiotics and the bovine somatotropin hormone contained in milk is inert for humans, reports the American Dairy Association of Indiana. Both skim or whole milk can trigger adverse reactions in those who have lactose intolerance or milk allergies. Milk allergy symptoms, triggered by a protein in milk, include hives, wheezing, vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, runny nose and itchy skin or rash. Lactose intolerance, an inability to break down a type of sugar in milk, can trigger symptoms that include bloating, gas and diarrhea.