Autoimmune Disese

A Notmilk reader (Richard Brown) wforich(at)aol.com
wrote:

"Hello Robert,

There is a milk related topic that is on my mind and I
would love to hear your thoughts/knowledge on it.

That being milks role in promoting autoimmune diseases.
It seems to me that arthritis, MS, diabetes etc are on
the rise and many TV ads targeting arthritis victims with
symptom treatments as radical as hip and knee replacements
and electric carts and special walk-in shower stalls.

This is such a huge issue - I would love to see a column in
the near future that updates and informs as I have several
friends suffering with joint deterioration and they need a
slap in the face."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Richard,

Over the past fourteen years, I have helped many people
relieve and cure symptoms of both arthritis and autoimmune
disease by suggesting a total Notmilk diet.

Although the etiology of each disorder is complex, the
cure is simple. I'll respond to your question in a two-part
format, first addressing autoimmune responses and second,
concluding with rheumatoid arthritis.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The body's reaction to a foreign protein is to destroy that
antigen-like invader with an antibody. For those individuals
unfortunate enough to possess a genetic pre-disposition to
such an event, the antibody then turns upon one's own cells.
That is what is known as an auto-immune response.

In the case of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), the body's response
to milk proteins is to attack the outer membrane protecting
nerve cells, or the myelin sheath.

It has long been established that early exposure to bovine
proteins is a trigger for insulin dependent diabetes
mellitus. Researchers have made that same milk consumption
connection to MS. The July 30, 1992 issue of the New England
Journal of Medicine first reported the diabetes autoimmune
response milk connection:

"Patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus produce
antibodies to cow milk proteins that participate in the
development of islet dysfunction... Taken as a whole, our
findings suggest that an active response in patients with
IDDM (to the bovine protein) is a feature of the auto-immune
response."

On December 14, 1996, The Lancet revealed:

"Cow's milk proteins are unique in one respect: in
industrialized countries they are the first foreign proteins
entering the infant gut, since most formulations for babies
are cow milk-based. The first pilot stage of our IDD
prevention study found that oral exposure to dairy milk
proteins in infancy resulted in both cellular and immune
response...this suggests the possible importance of the gut
immune system to the pathogenesis of IDD."

Multiple Sclerosis/Milk Connection

The April 1, 2001 issue of the Journal of Immunology
contained a study linking MS to milk consumption.

Michael Dosch, M.D., and his team of researchers determined
that multiple sclerosis and type I (juvenile) diabetes
mellitus are far more closely linked than previously
thought. Dosch attributes exposure to cow milk protein as a
risk factor in the development of both diseases for people
who are genetically susceptible. According to Dosch:

"We found that immunologically, type I diabetes and multiple
sclerosis are almost the same - in a test tube you can
barely tell the two diseases apart. We found that the
autoimmunity was not specific to the organ system affected
by the disease. Previously it was thought that in MS
autoimmunity would develop in the central nervous system,
and in diabetes it would only be found in the pancreas. We
found that both tissues are targeted in each disease."

The British medical journal Lancet reported that dairy-rich
diets filled have been closely linked to the development of
MS. (The Lancet 1974;2:1061)

A study published in the journal Neuroepidemiology revealed
an association between eating dairy foods and an increased
prevalence of MS. (Neuroepidemiology 1992;11:304Â*12.)

MS researcher, Luther Lindner, M.D., a pathologist at Texas
A & M University College of Medicine, considered M.S. and wrote:

"It might be prudent to limit the intake of milk and milk
products."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As for rheumatoid arthritis, the following quotes
and citations might inspire your friends to try
a total Notmilk diet (no milk chocolate either)
for the next few weeks:

"Rheumatoid arthritis is more severe than osteoarthritis,
is most common in the hands and feet, and is characterized
by swelling of joints. Since this type of joint pain can
be a symptom of a food allergy, dietary change sometimes
has a profound effect. Dairy products, the most common food
allergen, are one likely candidate as a contributing
causative factor."

Vegetarian and Vegan Nutrition by George Eisman, R.D.
_________________________________

"...43 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, those assigned
to a vegan diet...had improvement in rheumatoid arthritis
symptoms."

British Journal of Rheumatology, 36(1) 1997
_________________________________

"In the case of the eight year old female subject, juvenile
rheumatoid arthritis was a milk allergy. After avoiding dairy
products, all pain was gone in three weeks."

Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 1985, 78
_________________________________

"Controlled trial of fasting and a one-year vegetarian diet
eased symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis."

The Lancet, 1991, 338
_________________________________


Robert Cohen
http://www.notmilk.com

I'll suggest it less the milk and more the calcium in
the milk that results in the relationship between
milk and autoimmune diseases. And at that in
population that are either seasonal or chronically
low in serum levels of 25 OH Vitamin D.
Enough/excess calcium in the diet will result in the down regulation
of the activation of vitamin D to 1,25 OH2 vitamin D.
It is this form that is needed to prevent the autoimmune
diseases. It seems the body needs to be struggling
to maintain adequate calcium levels with high
levels of vitamin D and or sunlight to lessen the
odds of the autoimmune diseases.

Now if there were such a thing as low calcium milk......

On the other hand, this effect by way of milk and it
calcium may only be relevant in populations low in vitamin D.

> That being milks role in promoting autoimmune diseases.
> It seems to me that arthritis, MS, diabetes etc are on
> the rise ...

See article titled "Parasitic Worms and Inflammatory Diseases" at
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/art...?artid=1618732 for
an alternate hypothesis.