Contents
History
of Milk
by Maria Rollinger
From "Milch
besser nicht" by Maria Rollinger
JOU-Verlag, Second Edition 2007 ISBN 978-3-940236-00-5
Cows' milk has
become a basic food in northern Europe only since the1860s or 70s.
Before, there was a rural milk-production everywhere, but only with
the main intent to produce butter and some cheese from the sour-milk
leftovers. Only after World War I in the 1920s and 1930s milk-consumption
was wildly pushed and promoted by politics as a normal and healthy
food for everybody.
Up to World War II milk-consumption steadily increased but stayed
low compared to today. Butter and self-made sour-milk and a little
cheese stayed the main milk-products.
For
print
(June
22, 2007)
Hormonal
Effects of Cows' Milk on Human Health
You
may say that you have been drinking milk and eating dairy products
for several hundred years without any apparent harm. Today's milk
is harmful because dairy farming practices have greately changed since
the 1920s or 1930s. Beginning about 80 years ago, pregnant cows and
especially those in the latter half of pregnancy have come to produce
a greater proportion of the milk that is consumed. Pregnancy increases
the production of female sex hormones, and these hormones are in the
same or much higher range in the milk from pregnant cows than in the
blood of pregnant animals. I would like you to understand that today's
milk is vastly different from the milk your ancestors consumed 80
years ago. Consumption
of dairy products is excessive in developed countries, a trend that
started lately in the 1940s and 1950s.
For
print
(April
4, 2007)
Cows'
Milk is Responsible for Human Reproductive Disorders
The
role of environmental
compounds with estrogenic activity in the development of male reproductive
disorders has been a source of great concern. Among the routes of
human exposure to estrogens, we are particularly concerned about cowsÕ
milk, which contains considerable amounts of estrogens. The major
sources of animal-derived estrogens in the human diet are milk and
dairy products, which account for 60-70% of the estrogens consumed.
Humans consume milk obtained from cows in the latter half of pregnancy,
when the estrogen levels in cows are markedly elevated. The milk that
we now consume may be quite unlike that consumed 100 years ago. Modern
genetically-improved dairy cows, such as the Holstein are usually
fed a combination of grass and concentrates (grain/protein mixes and
various by-products), allowing them to lactate during the latter half
of pregnancy, even at 220 days of gestation. We are certain that milk
is responsible, at least in part, for some human reproductive disorders.
For
print
(April
23, 2007)
The
Experience of Japan as a Clue to the Etiology of Breast and Ovarian
Cancers: Milk and Dairy Products are Causatively Related to Both Malignancies
Although
breast and ovarian cancers are rare in Japan compared with other developed
countries, the death rates for both are increasing. In Japan, dramatic
lifestyle changes occurred after World War II. Over the past 50 years
(1947-1997), the age-standardized death rates of breast and ovarian
cancers increased about 2- and 4-fold, respectively, and the respective
intake of milk, meat, and eggs increased 20-, 10-, and 7-fold. The
increase in the annual death rates from breast and ovarian cancers
might be due to the lifestyle changes (increased consumption of animal-derived
food) that occurred after 1945. Among the food, milk and dairy products
should receive particular attention since they contain considerable
amounts of female sex hormones.
For print
(June 9, 2007)
Milk
from Pregnant Cows Is Responsible for the Development of Breast, Ovarian
and Corpus Uteri Cancers
The continued
increase in incidence of some hormone-related cancers worldwide is
of great concern. Although estrogen-like substances in the environment
were blamed for this increase, the possible role of female sex hormones
in milk from pregnant cows have not been widely discussed. Commercial
milk, 75% of which come from pregnant cows, contains considerable
amounts of estrogens and progestrone. The correlation of incidence
and mortality rates with environmental variables in worldwide countries
provides useful clues to the etiology of cancer. In this study, we
correlated incidence rates for breast, ovarian, and corpus uteri cancers
with food intake in 40 countries. Meat was most closely correlated
with the breast cancer incidence (r=0.83). While stepwise multiple-regression
analysis (SMRA) identified meat as the factor contributing most to
the incidence of breast cancer ([R]=0.86), the dietary factor identified
as the most significant contributor to the mortality was milk plus
cheese ([R]=0.81). Milk was most closely correlated with the incidence
of ovarian cancer (r=0.78). SMRA revealed that milk plus cheese make
the greatest contribution to the incidence of ovarian cancer ([R]=0.78).
Milk was most closely correlated with corpus uteri cancer (r=0.81),
followed by cheese (0.79). SMRA revealed that milk plus cheese make
the most significant contribution to the incidence of corpus uteri
cancer ([R]=0.86). In conclusion, increased consumption of animal-derived
food may have adverse effects on the development of hormone-dependent
cancers. Among dietary risk factors, we are most concerned with milk
and dairy products, because the milk we drink today is produced from
pregnant cows, in which estrogen and progesterone levels are markedly
elevated.
For print
(April 28, 2007)
Commercial
Low-Fat Milk Markedly Stimulates Mammary Carcinogenesis in Rats
Commercial cowsÕ milk contains
considerable amounts of estrogens. This study assessed the effect
of commercial low-fat milk on the development of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene
(DMBA)-induced mammary tumors in rats. Eighty six-week-old female
Sprague-Dawley rats received a single oral dose of 5 mg DMBA. Twenty-four
hours later, the animals were divided into 4 groups of 20 animals
each and given one of four test solutions for 20 weeks as their drinking
liquid: low-fat (1%) milk (M), artificial milk (A), estrone sulfate
solution 100 ng/ml, E), or tap water (W). The artificial milk was
formulated to supply essentially the same calories as the milk. The
low-fat milk contained 378 pg/ml estrone sulfate. Tumor incidence,
the cumulative number of tumors, and the sum of tumor diameters were
higher in the M and E groups than in the A or W groups. Overall, the
development of mammary tumors was in the order: M = E > A = W.
Whereas the plasma 17b-estradiol concentration in the M group was
the second highest after the E group, the plasma level of insulin-like
growth factor (IGF-I) was significantly higher in the M group than
in the other three groups. In conclusion, commercially available low-fat
milk promotes the development of DMBA-induced mammary tumors in rats.
The degree of the promotion is almost comparable to that of 100 ng/ml
estrone sulfate. The high estrogen content in the milk may be responsible
for the promotional effects, acting in concert with other hormones
such as IGF-I.
For print
(May 3, 2007)
Commercial
Cows' Milk Has Estrogenic Activity as Revealed by the Hypertrophic
Effects on the Uteri of Young Ovariectomized Rats and Immature Rats
CowsÕ
milk has considerable amounts of estrogens, mainly in the form of
estrone sulfate. To determine whether the commercial milk has any
biologically significant hormonal effects, two series of uterotrophic
tests were performed, one with young ovariectomized rats and the other
with sexually immature rats. Thirty-six rats were divided into 3 groups
of 12 animals each, and were kept for 7 days on powdered chow with
one of three drinking solutions: low-fat milk (experimental), artificial
milk (negative control), or artificial milk containing estrone sulfate
at 100 ng/ml (positive control). In each test, the weights of the
uteri in the Low-Fat Milk group were significantly greater than those
of the respective weights in the Artificial Milk group (p<0.01).
Furthermore, in ovariectomized rats, the uterine epithelial-cell height
in the Low-Fat Milk group was significantly greater than that observed
in the Artificial Milk group (p<0.01). The uterotrophic effect
of 100 ng/ml Estrone Sulfate solution was greater than that of Low-Fat
Milk in immature rats (p<0.01), whereas the effect of the solution
was almost comparable to that of Low-Fat Milk (p>0.05). In conclusion,
commercially available low-fat milk has uterotrophic effects in both
young ovariectomized rats and sexually immature rats.
For print
(May 8, 2007)
The
Experience of Japan as a Clue to the Etiology of Testis and Prostate
Cancers: Milk and Dairy Products Are Causatively Related to These
Malignancies
In
Japan dramatic lifestyle changes occurred after World War 2. To examine
the experience of Japan as a clue to the etiology
of testis and prostate cancers,
trends in the mortality rates of these cancers from 1947 to 1998 were
related to changes in dietary practices. The male population born
before 1945 had a peak in death from testicular cancer in their thirties
or forties, whereas those born after 1946 had a peak in their twenties.
The death rate of prostate cancer increased 25-fold almost linearly
after the war. The intake of milk, meat, and eggs increased 20-, 9-,
and 7-fold, respectively, after the war. In connection with the development
and growth of testicular and prostate cancers in Japan, particular
attention should be paid to milk, because the increase in its consumption
in this country is a recent occurrence and because milk contains considerable
amounts of estrogens plus saturated fats.
For print
(May 11, 2007)
Incidence
and Mortality of Testis and Prostate Cancers in Relation to World
Dietary Practices - Dairies are Causatively Related to these Malignancies
The incidence
and mortality rates of testis and prostate cancers in 42 countries
were correlated with the dietary practices in these countries using
the cancer rates provided by the International Agency for Research
on Cancer (IARC) and the food supply data provided by the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO). Among the food items we examined,
cheese was most closely correlated with the incidence of testis cancer,
followed by animal fats and milk. The correlation coefficient (r)
was highest (r = 0.804) when calculated for maternal or prepubertal
cheese consumption. Stepwise-multiple-regression analysis revealed
that milk + cheese made a most significant contribution to the incidence
of testis cancer (standardized regression coefficient [R] = 0.654).
Concerning prostate cancer, milk was most closely correlated (r =
0.711) with its incidence, followed by meat and coffee. Stepwise-multiple-regression
analysis identified milk + cheese as a factor contributing most to
the incidence of prostate cancer (R = 0.525). The food that was most
closely correlated with the mortality rate of prostate cancer was
milk (r = 0.766), followed by coffee, cheese and animal fats. Stepwise-multiple-regression
analysis further revealed that milk + cheese was a factor contributing
most to the mortality of prostate cancer (R = 0.580). The results
of our study suggest an important role of milk and dairy products
in the development and growth of testis and prostate cancers.
For print
(May
18, 2007)
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