Edited 2009 MILK - NECTAR OF THE GODS? OR......HORRID STICKY STUFF that clogs up the body?You can guess my view
from the way I phrase the question!
You might say "Yes - we break down the excess food components in milk that we don't need, and this makes it safe to drink." Some, yes. But can we break down the hormones in milk? Hormones are highly active chemicals which govern the intricate bio-chemistry of our bodies. They cannot always be broken down immediately by our bodies. External hormones can wreak havoc on our own hormone systems. Professor Jane Plant - whose case we study below - is certain that cows' milk was implicated in causing her breast cancer. This, she believes, is because of its hormone content. This is not far fetched. Remember how early contraceptive pills and HRT caused a marked increase in breast cancer? And that was because scientists decided to mess around with the human hormone system without realising the implications. MILK AND CALCIUM A common view is that milk provides loads of calcium for the body. Doctors, for example, often advise women diagnosed with osteoporosis to drink lots of milk. I admit, I love challenging 'sacred cows' - that is, tearing down widely held, but erroneous, beliefs. Nevertheless, this one really does deserve it. If you accept that widely held view - of milk providing calcium - then see if you can reconcile these two conflicting statements: 1. Milk is consumed in huge quantities in the western world. 2. Osteoporosis is very widespread only in the western world. Surely: * If milk is so good at providing calcium, and * If calcium counteracts osteoporosis as many doctors tell us, then shouldn't osteoporosis be rare in the western world? Whereas, it is common. Milk clearly does not counteract osteoporosis. In fact: 1. The calcium in milk is very hard to absorb by the digestive system of humans, and 2. Osteoporosis - a complex condition which is often over-diagnosed - is not cured by simple calcium supplementation. In fact, milk can CAUSE low calcium! This is because calcium is lost in the urine when getting rid of excess protein. Milk contains protein. 'Excess' means more than a couple of ounces a day for an average person. Most Westerners eat much more than a couple of ounces of protein a day. So, to preserve calcium in the body, don't drink milk - rather, eat less protein.
It has long been apparent that dairy foods (milk, cheese, butter) are the second most common cause of allergy in humans. (In case you don't know, the most common is that other staple of the human diet, wheat.) This is not so surprising when you consider that 70% of the world's population cannot digest lactose - the sugar found in milk. It is common for health problems to disappear when consumption of milk and other dairy food is stopped. Examples of problems commonly caused - partly or completely - by dairy foods include: * Catarrh * Frequent colds * Eczema * Asthma More worrying statistics are highlighted by Kitty Campion, author of many health books. Kitty states that 20% of US milk-producing cows are affected by leukaemia viruses. Further research indicates that the highest incidence of leukaemia in America occurs among: * Children aged 3-13 who consume the most milk, and * Dairy farmers. This suggests a possible link between milk consumption and leukaemia. Breast Cancer I mentioned Professor Jane Plant above. She is a respected scientist, who was first struck by breast cancer in 1987, aged 42. The disease has now occurred five times for Jane. As a scientist, she was struck by the question: Why do one in 10,000 women in China die from breast cancer - whereas in the UK the figure is 1 in 12? The answer is not genetic. When Chinese families moved to the West, their figures matched those of native Westerners within a generation or two. So, the answer has to be to do with lifestyle. Jane and her husband - who had spent a lot of time in China - remembered that the Chinese eat very little dairy food. Rural (ie non-Westernised) Chinese won't eat dairy. If invited to dinner, (Jane's husband knows the Chinese well) they will usually turn down cheese dishes, or ice cream because of the dairy content. They regard Westerners as 'strange' eating so much dairy food. Could there be a link? There was definitely a link for Jane. For the happy conclusion of her story, see below under 'Giving Up Milk'.
This is pretty disgusting. I have covered this before - so here is a brief summary. When do cows give milk? As with all mammals - when they are pregnant. So, first of all the cow is made pregnant. She is given artificial hormones to increase the amount of milk produced. Milk is taken as long as the cow produces it. When the calf is born, it is taken away immediately. Most are killed straight away and used, for example, in pet food. When the cow's milk yield starts to fall, she is then impregnated again - and off she goes around the cycle to have another calf. After seven or eight years - half its natural life - the milk yields are lower than for a younger animal. The cow is then killed and replaced. I'm afraid it's not much of a life for dairy cows. GIVING UP MILK Should you give up milk? There are strong arguments for doing so. If you want to avoid breast cancer, you should seriously consider it. Read Jane's book (see below for details.) Similarly, the Chinese have a very low incidence of prostate cancer; there may be a similar connection here for men to be concerned about. You may wonder whether symptoms you are suffering from are caused by milk. To test, try giving up milk for a month, and note down in a diary how you feel each day. Then make your judgement. Giving it up is harder than you think. Milk protein is very cheap, and so is used in a huge variety of manufactured foods. Look at the ingredient list on the labels of manufactured products; you will find 'skimmed milk' or 'skimmed milk powder' or 'whey' in a surprising number of foods - and even health products. The only way to avoid dairy foods, is to read every single label.
Jane Plant - Conclusion [Next: Alternatives to Milk] |
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