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More Milk Myths, Health Risks and Environmental Issues
More milk myths - Health Risks and Environmental Issues
Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Nov, 2002 by Rose Marie Williams The American consciousness has been thoroughly conditioned to believe milk is the perfect food. Fully aware of treading on sacred ground and somewhat apprehensive about backlash from dairy supporters, this writer feels compelled to ask if this could be another Alice in Wonderland trick to mislead the public into believing something which may be bad for you is actually good for you. This treatise will serve as a humble attempt to turn Alice's looking glass around, and view milk products from a holistic perspective, supported by nature and not industry profits. The medical archives abound with information regarding cow's milk and its many negative effects on the human population. The bulk of research emphasizes intestinal colic, intestinal irritation, intestinal bleeding, anemia, allergic reactions in infants and children, plus infections from salmonella. Additional concerns involve viral infections with bovine leukemia virus or AIDS-like virus, 'and childhood diabetes. Milk contaminated with blood, white (pus) cells, antibiotic drugs, insecticides and genetically engineered growth hormones are no less a problem. Cornell University professor, T. Colin Campbell, PhD, grew up on a dairy farm and pursued a career in nutrition. Once a believer in the benefits of milk, he too has stepped through the "looking glass" to see the other side of the picture. In 1965 he pursued a research project in the Philippines where children were dying from liver cancer. Their main source of protein came from peanuts, often contaminated with aflotoxin, a carcinogen produced by mold growth. He found the incidence of cancer was also high among the better- nourished children whose diets included powdered milk from the US. A 1968 study from India linked liver cancer in rats to milk protein. Following this lead, he was soon able to "turn on" or "turn off" cancer growth by increasing or decreasing the amount of casein -- the primary protein in milk. Dr. Campbell and his family no longer consume dairy products. (2) "What's Milk Got?" appeared in the October 2002 issue of TLfDP and discussed the benefits of breast milk over cow's milk for human babies, while broaching the topics of lactose intolerance, antibiotic residues, current consumption levels, and how pasteurization and homogenization have negatively impacted modern dairy products. This discussion will pursue the dairy connection to the increase in degenerative health problems that modern medicine has failed to stem, or successfully treat. Diabetes Diabetes can be an indication that the pancreas is not producing enough insulin to metabolize sugar. About 30 years ago a powerful growth hormone was identified in cow's milk that has subsequently been identified in humans. It resembles insulin and was called insulin like growth factor (IGF-1) because it made cells grow. Researchers suspected the antibodies produced against milk proteins during infancy also attack and destroy the pancreas in an autoimmune reaction, producing diabetes in genetically vulnerable individuals. Finland has the world's highest rate of dairy consumption and the world's highest rate of insulin dependent diabetes. (1,3) The Dairy Link to Cancer Breast cancer is lowest among the nations that consume little or no dairy products such as the Mediterranean and Asian countries, When East Germany experienced dairy shortages before the Berlin Wall came down, it also had a low incidence of breast cancer, while the neighboring communities in West Berlin had high rates of dairy consumption and high rates of cancer, Epidemiological studies of breast cancer indicate the highest rates are in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, countries with high dairy consumption. (2,3) Dr. Samuel Epstein, long-time critic of the cancer establishment, was one of the lone voices to raise concern about the additional increased risk of breast cancer from bovine growth hormones (BGH) given to dairy cows. BGH increases the levels of IGF-1, which passes into the milk. IGF-1 survives pasteurization and digestion, and is absorbed into the blood where it produces potent growth promoting effects believed to transform normal breast tissue into cancerous cells. (3) Prostate cancer, like breast cancer, is more common in developed countries with a high consumption of animal and dairy products, foods that tend to accumulate environmental toxins in the fat. A growing body of evidence suggests that milk may be bad for the prostate. Countries that consume the most milk have the highest rates of prostate cancer. A study reported in Cancer 64(3): 605-612 involving 371 prostate cancer patients and control subjects showed a 2.4% increase in males who drank three or more glasses of whole milk over those that drank no milk. (3) In addition to toxin accumulation, calcium is implicated because it suppresses the synthesis of a form of vitamin D that inhibits prostate cancer. (4) Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer diagnosed in American males, and is the second leading cause of cancer mortality. Synthetic estrogens from pesticides, plastics, and household chemicals are absorbed by our bodies and are increasingly suspected as causative agents in prostate cancer as well as sperm decline. (5) Ovarian cancer, a particularly difficult cancer to diagnose and treat, has been associated with dairy products. Milk drinkers appear to have a 3.1 risk over non-milk drinkers. A positive link between milk consumption and ovarian cancer was made by Harvard Medical School analyzing data from 27 countries. (13) Lung cancer has also been found at increased rates among milk drinkers, as much as two-fold among individuals drinking three glasses per/day. Fat is the suspected culprit. This may account for a lower incidence of lung cancer among other cultures with high tobacco use, but whose diets consist of less dietary fat. It remains unclear if the fat is the actual culprit or the environmental toxins that attach to the fat. (1,3) Leukemia is present in 80% of the US dairy herds! States with the highest rates of leukemic cows have the highest rates of leukemia -- Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota. Pooling of milk raises the level of bovine leukemic virus to nearly 95% of the total milk supply. The virus should be destroyed during proper pasteurization, but this process has been known to fail on occasion. Sheep, goats, and primates exposed to the virus have been found to develop leukemia. (1,3) Lymphoma deaths appear to correlate with high dairy consumption, as found in a decade-long epidemiological study of 15 countries. In Norway 1422 individuals were studied for eleven and a half years. Drinking two glasses of milk per day increased the risk of lymphatic cancer 3.5 times. Immunodeficiency virus is present in US cattle and its structure is similar to the human AIDS virus. The risk to humans has not been evaluated, nor does the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) plan to inspect meat and dairy for any presence of the retrovirus. (1,3) As if all this weren't enough, Robert Cohen, author of Milk, The Deadly Poison, has made some startling discoveries during the course of his exhaustive review of Monsanto research and government documents. According to unpublished government statistics he found a powerful link to the dramatic surge in lymphatic cancer -- the 1994 approval of the genetically engineered bovine growth hormone. Prior to this, lymphatic cancer was relatively rare. 'Today, if one adds up the total number of cancer deaths from breast, prostate, pancreatic and genital cancers, they do not cumulatively equal the number of deaths from lymphatic cancers." "Do I have your attention?" he asks the reader, hoping the news has shaken them from long held beliefs that milk is still the perfect food. (3) Mr. Cohen informs us that BGH-treated animals experienced enormous changes in their lymphatic systems, and their spleens grew dramatically. "The spleen is the first line of defense in a mammal's lymphatic system. " The US Census Bureau has compiled statistics for the years 1980, 1990 and 1995. The controversial bovine growth hormone was approved for human consumption in Feb 1994. "These data support evidence of a runaway plague," claims this ardent defender of public health against the evil doings of corporate giant, Monsanto. The US has now become a nation-wide experimental laboratory for BGH. Non-milk drinkers and vegetarians who rely on dairy products for protein are also part of the experiment. The rise in lymphatic cancer for both sexes for ages 35 and older ranges from 811% to 2345%!! If you didn't read about this in your local newspaper you might want to check Mr. Cohen's web page at www.notmilk.com (3) Gallstones & Crohn's Disease Twenty million Americans have gallstones. Some people remain symptomfree, while others may suffer with acute gallbladder inflammation (gallbladder cholecystitis). Nearly 75% are women, usually over forty, generally fair skinned, and of northern European descent. The culprit appears to be a diet rich in meat and dairy. However, yogurt and kefir are okay. Casein in dairy products contributes to the formation of gallstones. (6) John R. Lee, MD, reported in his June 2001 Medical Letter information gleaned from the notmilk web page about a bacteria called Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (Para-T) which causes diarrhea in cows, and has infected 30% of US dairy herds. The bacterium passes into the milk and is not destroyed by pasteurization. Para-T may be linked to Crohn's disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes severe intestinal problems, pain, diarrhea, and bleeding in humans. (7) Fat vs. Toxins "There is as much fat in a glass of low fat milk as there is in three slices of bacon." (3) Add to this a day's worth of cheese snacks, macaroni and cheese, milk shakes, nachos with cheese, baked potato with sour cream, ice cream, and it becomes evident that dairy products make up a huge part of the American diet. High fat diets have been associated with coronary heart disease and stroke, cancers, and diabetes. (8) It is possible that fat is guilty by association, and not the actual culprit in the diseases for which it is blamed. There could be another dangerous, yet overlooked, component to fat -- the lipid soluble toxins that cling to fat and bioaccumulate up the food chain. A very recent occurrence is the feeding of rendered meat products (bovine blood and fat) to dairy herds. Nature never intended cows to be carnivores. (9) Administering growth hormones to dairy cows increased milk production while placing additional stress on their bodies. It was decided that adding "extra protein" to the diet would help compensate for the hyped up milk production and wear and tear on the cows. This added a whole new dimension of toxic substances to dairy products. US dairy herds were already ingesting pesticide treated grains further contaminated with dioxin drift, genetically modified (GMO) soybeans, and now they are consuming bioaccumulated toxins in animal fat, which further increases the already heavy load of toxic chemicals in dairy products. The French are singled out for having a lower incidence of heart disease while also consuming cholesterol rich foods. It has been speculated that their consumption of red wine may be protective. It should not go unnoticed that their diets also include more fresh fruits and vegetables and less junk food than the standard American diet. Studies indicate that vitamin C is capable of neutralizing the bad effects from high fat foods while also promoting healthy heart function. The beauty of this is traditional diets from many cultures naturally combine vitamin C rich foods with a fatty meat. For example, Polish kielbasa, a fatty sausage, is generally combined with sauerkraut. Roasted pork with sauerkraut is a popular German dish. Asian cultures combine pork with cabbage. Italian sausage and peppers make a tasty match. Primitive Eskimo cultures whose diets are rich in animal fats get vitamin C from "certain layers of the skin of one species of whale." (10) Even the classic American hamburger is often served with a small dollop of coleslaw. We might improve our health by eating more of the coleslaw. Fat is not just fat anymore. Environmental degradation and agricultural practices of the last half-century have made fat the unwitting host of myriad synthetic chemical toxins that have an affinity to fat in animals and humans. Being at the top of the food chain humans receive the greatest concentration of toxic chemicals when consuming high fat foods such as meat and dairy products. This is a relatively new phenomenon, following the end of WWII when synthetic pesticides began to bombard the agricultural, commercial, and home markets. Dioxins Dioxins, a family of lethal chemicals that are the byproducts of pesticide production, plastic manufacture, industrial mining, the chlorine and paper industry, and incineration have become pervasive in the global environment. EPA scientists believe there is no threshold of dioxin exposure below which the immune system is not affected. Studies by the World Health Organization in 1997 conclude that dioxin causes cancer in humans. It was believed dioxins act as cancer promoters rather than initiators. However, a 1998 British study found an increase of mammary tumors in the offspring of rats exposed to dioxins during pregnancy. Low dioxin exposure in rhesus monkeys resulted in the development of endometriosis. Workers exposed to dioxin in a pesticide factory in Germany were found to have a dose dependent relationship to heart disease deaths. (11,12) Dioxin and PCBs are structurally similar to thyroid hormone. Some of their toxic effects resemble hypothyroidism. One study of breast fed infants showed reduced funct ion in those whose mothers had the highest dioxin levels in their milk. Dioxin exposure can negatively impact the human reproductive system. Taiwanese children exposed to dioxin-like chemicals suffered with frequent respiratory and ear infections. (11) The chlorine and paper industry, responsible for much of the dioxin pollution believed the EPA's 1994 assessment of the dangers were exaggerated and urged the EPA to look again. EPA scientists obliged, and studying dioxins more thoroughly found disturbing new evidence of developmental and reproductive effects in children, plus expanded carcinogenic capabilities. Some dioxins are considered to be 470,000 times more potent than DDT. One EPA expert even compared the chronic toxicity of dioxin to that of plutonium! EPA concludes 95% of human exposure to dioxin comes from meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products. Since 40% of the average American diet consists of dairy products that makes dairy a major source of dioxin exposure to humans. Vegetarians can take comfort in knowing that dioxins are not absorbed by plant root systems. All plant food, including organic, should be thoroughly washed because dioxin drift can settle on farms and gardens. (13) The Osteoporosis Myth The dairy industry has convinced the American public that drinking milk is good for preventing osteoporosis because milk is high in calcium, and calcium is necessary for strong bones. The medical community largely endorses this line of thinking as well. Interestingly, the countries that consume the most dairy also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis, while the populations that consume little or no dairy have the lowest incidence of osteoporosis. There is more to the picture than meets the eye. Dairy products contain nine times more calcium than magnesium, an imbalance that creates a negative impact on calcium absorption among high dairy consumers. The body is unable to assimilate calcium in pasteurized, homogenized milk, contributing to bone deterioration. (14) To further remove the last vestiges of clothing from dairy, king of foods, not only is the calcium poorly used by humans, but as a high protein food it actually leaches good calcium out of our bones to buffer the pH imbalance in the digestive system created by excessive animal protein intake. Many holistic practioners believe disease cannot take hold in a body that maintains a proper pH balance, between 6.5 and 7. Anything less is too acidic, and more is too alkaline. Plant based foods, water, and exercise encourage healthy pH balance, while dairy, beef and sugar promote an unhealthy pH balance. (15) When we look to nature for the answers to health and vitality we realize that other mammals do not get osteoporosis and they do not drink milk. Cows, horses, elephants, etc. all have strong bones simply by eating plant foods and drinking water. Nature intended us to do the same thing. Dairy Profits Pharmaceutical Companies The pharmaceutical industry derives enormous profits selling over-the-counter and prescription drugs intended to treat the myriad symptoms caused by dairy consumption. Casein is regarded as a primary cause of mucous and congestion, and is linked to childhood earaches. There are pills, sprays, and liquid medications to counteract nasal congestion, headaches, earaches, and allergies; laxatives and stool softeners for constipation; medications to treat diarrhea, bloating, and irritable bowel syndrome; and antacids for indigestion. If we broaden the picture to include dairy's influence in heart disease, childhood diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer, it is easy to see how milk is responsible for huge profits to the pharmaceutical industry. (3) Milk Substitutes Water is probably the most overlooked and least respected dietary item for children and adults. Drinking pure water instead of milk products would be the first giant step toward improving one's diet. Breast milk for infants is far superior to cow's milk. Wondering what to put on your morning cereal? Many health conscious individuals have made the switch to rice milk, almond milk, soymilk, or goat's milk, available in health food stores and many supermarkets. Cereal with juice can be quite tasty as well. Substituting cheese snacks and sour cream dips with nutrient rich red or green salsas and bean dips is easy and exciting to the taste buds. Replacing ice cream with fresh fruit would be a big boost to anyone's immune system. Weaning oneself off cheese may be difficult, but well worth the effort. References (1.) Kradjian. R., MD, "The Milk Letter: A Message to My Patients," www.afpafitness.com/MILKDOC.HTM, Feb. 2, 1999. (2.) Hively. W., Discover. Aug. 2000. (3.) Cohen, R., Milk, The Deadly Poison, Argus Pub., NJ, 1998. (4.) Johnston, PhD., "Prostate Health," Natural Awakenings Miami/Dade Edit., June 2002. (p. 11 RM Wms.) (5.) Stoff, J. MD, Cloutre, D., PhD, The Prostate Miracle, Kensington Books, NY, 2000. (6.) Page, L., ND, PhD, Linda Page's Healthy Healing, 11th Edit., Traditional Wisdom, USA, March 2000. (7.) Lee, J., MD, The John R. Lee Medical Letter, June 2001. (8.) Jacobsen, Michael, PhD, Safe Food, Living Planet Press, CA, 1991. (9.) Hassig, D., St. Lawrence Env. Action, Ogdensburg, NY, Ltr. to FDA., Jan. 17, 2001. (10.) Price, Weston, DDS, Nutrition & Physical Degeneration, Keats Pub., Inc., CT, 1989. (11.) Williams, R. "Dioxin: A Universal Toxin, Part 2," TLfDP, #214, p.142-145, May 2001. (12.) Montague, P., PhD, "Dioxins, the View from Europe," Rachel's Env. Health Wkly., MD. Feb. 4, 1998. (13.) Williams, R., "Dioxin: A Universal Toxin, Part 1," TLfDP, #213, p. 158-160, April 2001. (14.) Brown, E., JD & Hausen, R., DMD, The Key to Ultimate Health, Advanced Health Research Pub., CA 2000. (15.) Quillan, P. PhD, Beating Cancer with Nutrition, Nutrition Times Press, Inc., OK, 2001 COPYRIGHT 2002 The Townsend Letter Group COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group |
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