Does boiling milk really make the nutrients in it less useful to the body when ingesting it?

Question

Does “denaturing” nutrients in milk by boiling it make them less useful, or actually more useful, as they undergo “denaturation” anyway during digestion?

I've read online that boiling milk "denatures" nutrients such as protein, calcium, and others contained in milk, rendering the milk less nutritious.

I've also read that because the nutrients in milk (and other foods) undergo "denaturation" in our body during digestion anyway, boiling it will not make milk less nutritionally valuable, and will actually help the body to more readily absord the nutrients in it into the bloodstream right after ingestion.

What is the truth in this matter? Thanks for any knowledgeable answers! I put the word "denature" in quotes because it's a technical term and I'm not really sure in which ways it can correctly be used.

Answer 1

The term "denature" is generally used for proteins, and it is true that boiling milk will denature the proteins that are present. Calcium and other such elements would not be "denatured" per se. In fact, I can think of no adverse effect of boiling on the chemical nature of calcium, magnesium, etc. I'm not entirely sure what other minerals and/or nutrients are present in homogenized milk.

As for material being "denatured" during digestion, this is probably an inappropriate term since we generally use the term "metabolized" instead of "denatured". When proteins and other "nutrients" are metabolized, they result in useful products, as opposed to when they are "denatured". So, in summary, I'd say that boiling milk is not the same a metabolizing milk, and I'd say that boiling would likely render milk less "nutritious".

Answer 2

Casiens as opposed to whey especially micellar casein take a long time for your body to digest. Whey that has been separated and the predigested using enzymes and filtered among other treatments of the milk including heat makes the whey able to pass through your gut without normal digestion giving the body a boost of nitrogen helping muscles recover right after a workout. Caseins should be consumed during the day and Micellar Casein before bed to provide a constant nitrogen source for your muscles. As far trace nutrients and lactose go, you are better taking a good quality vitamin and using a better source of carbohydrate to avoid insulin spikes and provide long-lasting and even energy for your body. One instance of having to "boil" or raise milk to 185 deg. F. is in the making of yogurt. If you don't the yogurt will not set properly, if filtered as Greek yogurt is, you will remove much of the lactose and some of the whey. Not a scientific answer, but a practical one. Most Milk is pasteurized using heat so unless you get raw milk the point is really moot. Lastly, what exactly is meant by "less nutritious?"