Ten anti-vegetarian myths

                                             There are meat eaters, vegetarians, and vegans.
                                             Vegetarians drink milk and eat dairy products.
                                             Vegans eat no animal products. By eating animal
                                             flesh or drinking their body fluids, one ingests
                                             their hormones. Vegetarians often drink more
                                             milk and eat more dairy than meat eaters. Vegans
                                             eat no animal hormones.
                                             
                                             There are two reasons not to eat animals. Many
                                             people become vegetarians out of compassion to
                                             animals who do not deserve to die in pain by a
                                             human knife.
                                             
                                             The second reason, human health, far outweighs
                                             the first. By eating animal products, one shows
                                             no compassion to the human body. By eating dirty
                                             fuel consisting of cholesterol, saturated animal
                                             fat, and relatively large amounts of sulfur-based
                                             amino acids (methionine, homocysteine), one places
                                             considerable stress upon the body's cardiovascular
                                             and immune systems.
                                             
                                             Of the two thousand or so emails that I see every
                                             day, I can always rely upon a handful to refer to
                                             one or more so-called anti-vegetarian myths such as:
                                             
                                             1) Meat eaters have lower rates of heart disease
                                             than do vegetarians.
                                             
                                             2) Meat eating men make for better lovers because
                                             they have higher rates of the male sex hormone.
                                             
                                             3) Meat eaters have lower rates of all of the
                                             major diseases than do vegetarians.
                                             
                                             4) Vegetarians have higher mortality rates than
                                             meat eaters.
                                             
                                             5) A vegetarian diet is not appropriate for a
                                             pregnant woman or nursing mother.
                                             
                                             6) Children born to vegetarians are smaller
                                             than children born to meat eaters.
                                             
                                             7) Meat eaters obtain more vitamins and nutrients
                                             than vegetarians, because the animals they eat also
                                             consume vegetables.
                                             
                                             8) It is a proven fact that vegetarians have higher
                                             rates of heart disease than meat eaters.
                                             
                                             9) Meat eaters have lower rates of diabetes than
                                             do vegetarians.
                                             
                                             10) Meat eaters have lower rates of breast cancer than
                                             do vegetarians.
                                                        _____________________________________
                                             
                                                        ONE BY ONE, LET'S DISPEL THOSE MYTHS
                                                        _____________________________________
                                             
                                             1) Meat eaters have lower rates of heart disease
                                             than do vegetarians.
                                             
                                             "Significant atherosclerosis is rare in peoples
                                             whose diet over the life span is predominantly
                                             vegetarian and low in calories, total lipids,
                                             saturated lipids and cholesterol."
                                             
                                             Nutrition and Athersclerosis by Louis Katz. 1958
                                             ______________________________________
                                             
                                             2) Meat eating men make for better lovers because
                                             they have higher rates of the male sex hormone.
                                             
                                             "The study measured testosterone levels in 696
                                             Oxford University men. Of the study participants,
                                             233 were vegan (ate no animal products) and 237
                                             were vegetarian (ate milk and dairy products).
                                             The remaining 237 subjects were men who ate meat
                                             on most days of the week...vegans had higher
                                             testosterone levels than vegetarians and meat
                                             eaters."
                                             
                                             British Journal of Cancer, 83(1), July 2000
                                             ______________________________________
                                             
                                             3) Meat eaters have lower rates of all of
                                             mankind's major diseases than do vegetarians.
                                             
                                             "Scientific data suggest positive relationships
                                             between a vegetarian diet and reduced risk for
                                             several chronic degenerative diseases and conditions,
                                             including obesity, coronary artery disease,
                                             hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and some
                                             types of cancer."
                                             
                                             Journal of American Dietetic Association, 11/97, 97(1)
                                             ______________________________________
                                             
                                             4) Vegetarians have higher mortality rates than
                                             meat eaters.
                                             
                                             "Vegetarians often have lower mortality rates
                                             from several chronic degenerative diseases than
                                             do non vegetarians."
                                             
                                             British Medical Journal,  1996; 313
                                             ______________________________________
                                             
                                             5) A vegetarian diet is not appropriate for a
                                             pregnant woman or nursing mother.
                                             
                                             "Vegan diets are appropriate for all stages of the
                                             life cycle, including during pregnancy and lactation."
                                             
                                             Am J Clin Nutr. 1994;59(suppl):1176S-1181S.
                                             ______________________________________
                                             
                                             6) Children born to vegetarians are smaller
                                             than children born to meat eaters.
                                             
                                             "Vegan diets can meet the nutrient and energy needs
                                             of pregnant women. Birth weights of infants born
                                             to well nourished vegetarian women have been shown
                                             to be similar to birth-weight norms and to birth
                                             weights of infants of non vegetarians."
                                             
                                             Pediatrics. 1989;84
                                             ______________________________________
                                             
                                             7) Meat eaters obtain more vitamins and nutrients
                                             than vegetarians, because the animals they eat also
                                             consume vegetables.
                                             
                                             "Vegetarian diets offer disease protection benefits
                                             because higher concentration of antioxidants such
                                             as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, and phytochemicals."
                                             
                                             Am J Clin Nutr. 1996;63(suppl)
                                             ______________________________________
                                             
                                             8) It is a proven fact that vegetarians have higher
                                             rates of heart disease than meat eaters.
                                             
                                             "Mortality from coronary artery disease is lower in
                                             vegetarians than in non vegetarians."
                                             
                                             British Medical Journal, 1994; 308
                                             ______________________________________
                                             
                                             9) Meat eaters have lower rates of diabetes than
                                             do vegetarians.
                                             
                                             "Type 2 diabetes mellitus is less likely to be a
                                             cause of death in vegetarians than non vegetarians."
                                             
                                             Am J Clin Nutr. 1988;48(suppl)
                                             ______________________________________
                                             
                                             10) Meat eaters have lower rates of breast cancer than
                                             do vegetarians.
                                             
                                             "Breast cancer rates are lower in populations that
                                             consume plant based diets."
                                             
                                             American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Figures, 1994
                                             

Thank you, Dr. McDougall!

                                             Marketing Milk and Disease
                                             
                                             Each year, just as white strawberry blossoms transform into
                                             tiny green berries, and as Spring days grow longer and warmer,
                                             the milk industry declares June to be: "National Dairy Month."
                                             
                                             This year, America's most respected physician, Dr.
                                             John McDougall, honors the milk marketers with his own
                                             very special tribute. I enjoy receiving Dr. McDougall's
                                             Internet newsletter. You can too. To subscribe, go to:
                                             
                                             http://www.drmcdougall.com
                                             _____________________________________________
                                             
                                             Marketing Milk and Disease by John McDougall, MD
                                             
                                             The Dairy Industry is really big business, with sales of
                                             over $11 billion for milk and $16 billion for cheese
                                             annually in the USA alone, so you might expect hard line
                                             marketing from them, but would you expect them to
                                             aggressively sell their products if they were known to be
                                             harmful to people, especially to women and children?
                                             
                                             The Dairy Management Inc., whose purpose is to build demand
                                             for dairy products on behalf of America's 80,000-plus dairy
                                             producers, has just released the Dairy Checkoff 2003 Unified
                                             Marketing Plan (UMP) with a budget of $165.7 million. (1)
                                             
                                             The United Marketing Plan explains, "This ongoing program
                                             area (referring to the section Dairy Image/Confidence) aims
                                             to protect and enhance consumer confidence in dairy products
                                             and the dairy industry. A major component involves
                                             conducting and communicating the results of dairy nutrition
                                             research showing the healthfulness of dairy products, as
                                             well as issues and crisis management." (1)(Most likely, I
                                             fall under the heading of "issues and crisis management.")
                                             
                                             A significant portion of the money from the 2003 Unified
                                             Marketing Plan is specifically targeted to children ages 6
                                             to 12 and their mothers. The goal is "to guide school-age
                                             children to become life-long consumers of dairy products,
                                             2003 activities will target students, parents, educators and
                                             school foodservice professionals." (1) (Similar words and
                                             intentions have been attributed to the tobacco industry.)
                                             All this marketing is working, too: annual fluid milk
                                             consumption among kids 6 to 12 increased to 28 gallons per
                                             capita, the highest level in 10 years. Children under 18
                                             drink 46% of the milk consumed in the USA.
                                             
                                             Realize that when I say milk in this article, I'm also
                                             implicating all dairy products that are made from milk:
                                             non-fat milk, low-fat milk, buttermilk, cheeses, cottage
                                             cheese, yogurt, ice cream, whey, kefir, and butter. All
                                             of them share a similar nutritional profile (plus or
                                             minus the fat, protein, and sugar), and as a result, all
                                             of them contribute to a wide range of health problems.
                                             
                                             Will the UMP Inform You of the Contamination?
                                             E. Coli, AIDS and Leukemia Viruses?
                                             
                                             Last month I left you with some very disturbing facts
                                             about the contamination of milk with loads of bacteria
                                             and millions of white blood cells (pus cells) which are
                                             there to help fight off the infections found in cows and
                                             milk (see the April 2003 Newsletter found at
                                             http://www.drmcdougall.com).
                                             
                                             Will the 2003 Unified Marketing Plan specify money to
                                             inform you of this upsetting information? You will never
                                             see an advertisement with a famous movie star proudly
                                             wearing a white mustache, properly labeled as containing
                                             300,000 white blood cells and 25,000 bacteria.
                                             
                                             Dairy products were the foods most often recalled by the
                                             U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the period
                                             October 1, 1993 through September 30, 1998 because of
                                             contamination with infectious agents, mostly bacteria. (2)
                                             
                                             They are commonly tainted with disease-causing bacteria,
                                             such as salmonella, staphylococci, listeria, deadly E. coli
                                             O1573 and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis (4) (possibly one
                                             of the agents causing Crohn's disease; a form of
                                             life-threatening chronic colitis), as well as viruses known
                                             to cause lymphoma and leukemia-like diseases, and immune
                                             deficiency in cattle.
                                             
                                             AIDS and Leukemia Viruses
                                             
                                             Dairy cattle are infected with bovine immunodeficiency
                                             viruses (BIV) and bovine leukemia viruses (BLV), worldwide.
                                             (Bovine immunodeficiency viruses can also be properly
                                             referred to as bovine AIDS viruses.)
                                             
                                             In the United States, results show an average 40% of beef
                                             herds and 64% of dairy herds are infected with BIV. (5)
                                             
                                             In Canada (6-7), the infection rate is 70% and in Argentina
                                             (8) the rate is 84% for BLV.
                                             
                                             Herds infected with the BIV are usually infected with the
                                             leukemia virus (BLV) also. (5)
                                             
                                             Both viruses can cross species lines thus infecting other
                                             animals, like sheep, goats, and chimpanzees – and they
                                             develop disease. (5)
                                             
                                             Nationwide and worldwide, leukemia is more common in the
                                             higher dairy consuming populations. (9,10)
                                             
                                             An increased incidence of leukemia has been found among
                                             dairy farmers in multiple studies. (11-14)
                                             
                                             BIV infection has been reported in a person. (15)
                                             
                                             The bovine leukemia virus has been classified in the same
                                             group as the Human T-cell Leukemia/Lymphotropic virus
                                             type 1 (HTLV-1), which is known to cause leukemia and
                                             lymphomas in humans (Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma). (16)
                                             
                                             BIV is structurally and genetically closely related to
                                             human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type-1 (the virus causing
                                             human AIDS). (17)
                                             
                                             Pasteurization kills many types of microorganisms, but it is
                                             not foolproof. There is also concern that pasteurization may
                                             break the viruses into fragments that may become even more
                                             dangerous. (18)
                                             
                                             Has it been shown that the bovine AIDS and/or leukemia viruses
                                             will infect you and cause disease? No. Nor has it been proved
                                             that they will not. Compared to the efforts to try to convince
                                             you of the bone-building benefits of milk, almost nothing has
                                             been spent to establish whether or not it is safe to feed your
                                             family dairy products teeming with bovine immunodeficiency and
                                             bovine leukemia viruses (and/or viral fragments). Some countries
                                             take this matter very seriously. For example, in many European
                                             countries, health officials have conducted programs to eradicate
                                             infected herds; Finland' program has successfully eradicated
                                             BLV from its cattle. (19)
                                             
                                             If you live in a region with a high incidence of herd infection
                                             with these viruses you can be pretty sure you will be consuming
                                             dairy products containing whole viruses or fragments of these
                                             viruses, since the milk from many dairy farms is mixed in large
                                             vats at the dairy factory before processing and packaging.
                                             Since the industry will not act responsibly in many countries,
                                             consumers are left with one choice: eliminate all dairy
                                             products from their diet. If eliminating dairy products would
                                             prevent even a small risk of human disease, it would be well
                                             worthwhile, especially since, as you learned in the April 2003
                                             McDougall Newsletter, they are completely unnecessary for
                                             excellent health.
                                             
                                             Will the UMP Market the Pain and Suffering Caused Children?
                                             
                                             The Dairy Management Inc. has specifically targeted children
                                             in their campaign. (1) This will raise no public concern,
                                             because most people consider cow's milk the healthiest of all
                                             food choices, especially when it comes to children. Over 25%
                                             of children are overweight in Western countries and cow's milk,
                                             cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, and sour cream, with all
                                             their fat and calories, contribute greatly to this deadly
                                             epidemic. Many of these overweight children are now developing
                                             type-2 diabetes. However, the most common variety of diabetes
                                             found in children is still type-1 or insulin dependent
                                             diabetes (IDDM).
                                             
                                             Type-1 Diabetes
                                             
                                             The evidence incriminating cow's milk consumption in the cause
                                             of type-1 diabetes is sufficient to cause the American Academy
                                             of Pediatrics to issue these warnings, "Early exposure of
                                             infants to cow's milk protein may be an important factor in the
                                             initiation of the beta cell (insulin-producing cells of the
                                             pancreas) destructive process in some individuals." (20) "The
                                             avoidance of cow's milk protein for the first several months
                                             of life may reduce the later development of IDDM or delay its
                                             onset in susceptible people." (20)
                                             
                                             Exposure to cow's milk protein early in life, when the
                                             intestinal tract is immature, sometimes results in the milk
                                             protein entering the blood stream where antibodies to this
                                             foreign substance, cow's milk, are made by the immune system.
                                             Unfortunately, these same antibodies also attack the insulin-
                                             producing cells of the pancreas. By glassful of milk after
                                             spoonful of ice cream, over a period of about 5 to 7 years,
                                             the child destroys his or her own pancreas – and is left
                                             with a lifelong, life-threatening, handicap: diabetes. The
                                             pancreas is forever destroyed and the child will have to take
                                             insulin shots daily. Complications, such as blindness, kidney
                                             failure, and heart disease will be a real threat during his
                                             or her shortened lifespan.(See my July 2002 McDougall
                                             Newsletter for a discussion of type-1 diabetes).
                                             
                                             Constipation
                                             
                                             Not as life-threatening as diabetes, but for some as mentally
                                             and physically distressing, is chronic constipation. As a doctor
                                             who has cared for hundreds of children, I can tell you they suffer
                                             with pain, bleeding, hemorrhoids, and embarrassment. The causal
                                             effects of cow’s milk were clearly demonstrated in a study of 65
                                             severely constipated children published in the New England Journal
                                             of Medicine. (21)
                                             
                                             These boys and girls complained of only one bowel movement every
                                             3 to 15 days and many didn't even respond to strong laxatives
                                             (lactulose and mineral oil). Forty-four of the 65 (68%) found
                                             relief of their constipation when taken off the cow's milk.
                                             Evidence of inflammation of the bowel was found on biopsy, and
                                             anal fissures and pain were commonly associated with the
                                             constipation "elimination of the cow's milk solved these problems."
                                             
                                             When cow's milk was reintroduced into their diet 8 to 12 months
                                             later, all of the children developed constipation within 5 to 10
                                             days.  For constipation alone, cow's milk should be banned from
                                             the School Milk Programs, worldwide.
                                             
                                             Rhinitis and Otitis Media
                                             
                                             The multitude of snotty-nosed kids frequently visiting the
                                             pediatrician's office for ear infections is much more obvious
                                             than the constipated crowd, and these problems less devastating
                                             than type-1 diabetes, but these complaints also can be due to
                                             consuming the foreign proteins intended for calves. (22-25)
                                             In addition, these same children are likely to suffer from
                                             gastroesophageal reflux, asthma and/or eczema from their
                                             unnatural habit of drinking cow's milk.
                                             
                                             Diseases of Foreign Protein
                                             
                                             Many conditions can be traced back to reactions to cow's milk.
                                             Milk contains more than 25 different proteins that can induce
                                             adverse reactions in humans. (26) Our immune system perceives
                                             these foreign proteins as alien invaders, like a virus or
                                             bacteria, and launches an attack in response, as in the case
                                             of type-1 diabetes discussed above and many other allergic
                                             and autoimmune diseases.
                                             
                                             DISEASES CAUSED BY, OR LINKED TO, DAIRY PROTEINS
                                             
                                             General: Loss of appetite, growth retardation.
                                             
                                             Upper Gastrointestinal:
                                             
                                             Canker sores (aphthous stomatitis), irritation of tongue, lips and
                                             mouth, tonsil enlargement, vomiting, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD),
                                             Sandifer's syndrome, peptic ulcer disease, colic, stomach cramps,
                                             abdominal distention, intestinal obstruction, type-1 diabetes.
                                             
                                             Lower Gastrointestinal:
                                             
                                             Bloody stools, colitis, malabsorption, diarrhea, painful defecation,
                                             fecal soiling, infantile colic, chronic constipation, infantile food
                                             protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), Crohn's disease,
                                             ulcerative colitis.
                                             
                                             Respiratory:
                                             
                                             Nasal stuffiness, runny nose, otitis media (inner ear trouble),
                                             sinusitis, wheezing, asthma, and pulmonary infiltrates.
                                             
                                             Bone and joint:
                                             
                                             Rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, lupus,
                                             Beheta's disease, (possibly psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing
                                             spondylitis).
                                             
                                             Skin:
                                             
                                             Rashes, atopic dermatitis, eczema, seborrhea, hives (urticaria)
                                             
                                             Nervous System (Behavioral):
                                             
                                             Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, autism, schizophrenia,
                                             irritability, restlessness, hyperactivity, headache, lethargy,
                                             fatigue, "allergic-tension fatigue syndrome," muscle pain,
                                             mental depression, enuresis (bed-wetting).
                                             
                                             Blood:
                                             Abnormal blood clotting, iron deficiency anemia, low serum
                                             proteins, thrombocytopenia, and eosinophilia.
                                             
                                             Other:
                                             
                                             Nephrotic syndrome, glomerulonephritis, anaphylactic shock and
                                             death, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS or crib or cot death),
                                             injury to the arteries causing arteritis, and eventually,
                                             atherosclerosis.
                                             
                                             References are available through the National Library of
                                             Medicine, http://www.nlm.nih.gov  - Search cow's milk and
                                             any of the diseases listed above.
                                             
                                             All dairy products contain milk proteins, including skim milk,
                                             yogurt, cheese, and butter, and many butter substitutes. Milk
                                             proteins are listed in packaged food products with a variety of
                                             names, such as milk solids, skim milk powder, casein, caseinates,
                                             whey, and albumin. Milk is also often put into packaged foods and
                                             not declared on the label - this is illegal and punishable by FDA
                                             action.
                                             
                                             Even with all of this disease in children the American School Food
                                             Service Association and the dairy industry have developed a School
                                             Milk Pilot Test to demonstrate that kids will drink more milk in
                                             school if certain product enhancements are made. (27)
                                             
                                             The result was milk sales increased by an average of 18 percent
                                             and consumption increased by 35 percent when schools provided
                                             flavored milks and other package enhancements. (28)
                                             
                                             The UMP Will Try to Deceive You about the Fattening Nature of
                                             Dairy Foods.
                                             
                                             "Independent research confirming dairy's role in weight reduction
                                             is mounting," said Dr. Greg Miller, senior vice president of nutrition
                                             and scientific affairs for the Dairy Checkoff. (29) "This helps to
                                             position dairy foods as part of the solution to America's growing
                                             obesity epidemic." And Miller added, "Informing the public about
                                             dairy's role in the fight against obesity will help increase
                                             consumption of milk, cheese and yogurt, among other dairy products."
                                             
                                             Shouldn't the idea of milk acting as an "antiobesity" food
                                             strike you as fundamentally contradictory? After all, the
                                             biologic purpose of cow's milk is to provide large amounts
                                             of energy and nutrients to grow the young animal from 60 to
                                             600 pounds. So how does milk become a weight loss product in
                                             the 21st century? This idea began with the observation that
                                             underprivileged people, who have poor diets in general, are
                                             often obese, and also consume few dairy products. (30) Some
                                             experiments that followed showed people and animals on calorie-
                                             restricted diets lost a small amount of extra weight when
                                             calcium or dairy foods were part of their diet.
                                             
                                             The "antiobesity" effects of dairy are difficult to explain, but
                                             may be due to calcium binding fat in the intestine, preventing its
                                             absorption. (30)
                                             
                                             A thorough search of the literature for properly designed studies
                                             shows only one of 17 randomized studies found weight loss in people
                                             taking calcium pills, and of the nine randomized studies where
                                             fluid milk was added, two showed significant weight gain, and none
                                             showed significant loss. (31)
                                             
                                             In one study funded by a grant from the International Dairy Foods
                                             Association, 204 healthy men and women were asked to increase
                                             their intake of skim or 1% milk by three cups a day for 12 weeks;
                                             those consuming the extra milk gained an average of 1.32 pounds
                                             (0.6 Kg). (32)  Can you imagine what their weight gain would have
                                             been if they had been asked to add whole milk, cheese, butter,
                                             and ice cream to their diet, instead of skim and low-fat 1% milk?
                                             
                                             The result of all this research was well summed up by one of the
                                             dairy industry's frequent spokespersons at the Dairy Management
                                             Inc. sponsored Symposium: Dairy Product Components and Weight
                                             Regulation, held April 21, 2002 in New Orleans, with this statement,
                                             "In conclusion, the data available from randomized trials of dairy
                                             product or calcium supplementation provide little support for an
                                             effect in reducing body weight or fat mass." (31)
                                             
                                             Yet the consumer will hear from Dr. Miller and the rest of the
                                             industry, eat more dairy products and you will lose weight.
                                             
                                             Dairy products are loaded with fats that are easily stored under
                                             your skin as "body fat."  The fats in the cold glass of milk, the
                                             little bite of cheese, and that small bowl of ice cream will move
                                             from your lips to your hips effortlessly. In fact, it moves with
                                             so little effort that the chemical structure of the fat isn't even
                                             changed. Cow's milk contains a unique kind of fat with double
                                             bonds located at the C-15 and C-17 position on the fat's carbon
                                             chain. Examination of a person's fatty (adipose) tissues following
                                             a biopsy will show the amount of this kind of fat present, which
                                             will be in direct proportion to the amount of dairy products
                                             the person consumes. (33)
                                             
                                             All that fat the dairy industry asks us to eat is associated with
                                             higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and breast,
                                             prostate, uterine and colon cancer. Yet, as a marketing scheme,
                                             the dairy industry has teamed up with the National Medical
                                             Association to write articles about "the role of dairy in helping
                                             reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, and other serious
                                             health issues." (34)
                                             
                                             The National Medical Association promotes the collective interests
                                             of physicians and patients of African descent. Please explain to me
                                             how this association came about when the vast majority of people of
                                             African descent (80% to 90%) cannot drink milk because of lactose
                                             intolerance; causing them diarrhea, stomach cramps and gas. (35)
                                             
                                             Not only is this dairy fat unattractively worn and a health
                                             hazard, but it is also a source of large quantities of
                                             environmental chemicals, like dioxins and DDT, that affect your
                                             health and the health of a mother's offspring during pregnancy
                                             and nursing. (36) One reason a young girl needs to start thinking
                                             about a healthier diet early is because the accumulation of these
                                             chemicals in her own body fat occurs over her entire lifetime.
                                             
                                             The UMP Will Try to Confuse You about Bone Health and Animal Protein
                                             
                                             Osteoporosis is caused by several factors; however, the most
                                             important one is diet; especially the amount of animal protein
                                             and acid in the foods we eat. (37-39 0 The high acid foods are
                                             meat, poultry, fish, seafood, and hard cheeses, parmesan cheese
                                             is the most acidic of all foods commonly consumed." (40)
                                             
                                             Once consumed, this food-derived acid must be neutralized in the
                                             body. Fruits and vegetables can do this neutralizing (these foods
                                             are alkaline in nature). However, because the diet of the average
                                             Westerner is so deficient in fruits and vegetables and so high in
                                             acid foods, the primary neutralizer of dietary acid becomes their
                                             bones. The bones dissolve to release alkaline materials.
                                             
                                             Worldwide, the highest rates of hip fractures are among populations
                                             that consume the most animal food (including dairy products) like
                                             people from the USA, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand,
                                             etc. (41,42) The lowest rates are among people who eat little or no
                                             dairy foods (these people are on lower calcium diets) like people
                                             from rural Asia and rural Africa. (41,42)
                                             
                                             The basic experiments published in the 1980s clearly show protein
                                             causes bone loss, and calcium offers little or no protection. (43)
                                             Even the foremost scientists hired by the dairy industry know protein
                                             is harmful to the bones. (44) In my April 2003 Newsletter I explained
                                             there was only one properly designed study testing the effects of
                                             fluid milk on the bone health of postmenopausal women, and the results
                                             were: those who received the extra milk for a year lost more bone than
                                             those who didn't drink the milk. (44) The authors, funded by the
                                             National Dairy Council, explained in their paper, "The protein content
                                             of the milk supplement may have a negative effect on calcium balance,
                                             possibly through an increase in kidney losses of calcium or through a
                                             direct effect on bone resorption." Trying to explain why those
                                             receiving the milk were in worse calcium balance, they said, "this
                                             may have been due to the average 30 percent increase in protein
                                             intake during milk supplementation."
                                             
                                             Unfortunately, all this damning information does not sit well with
                                             the powerful dairy industry, so they have started the "3-A-Day of
                                             Dairy" program to battle the calcium crisis in America by promoting
                                             milk, cheese and yogurt for "stronger bones" and they have been busy
                                             doing their own research to prove protein is good for the bones.
                                             (45-48)
                                             
                                             Regrettably for them, their designing means were just revealed
                                             in the May 2003 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
                                             (49) The article in this journal exposed the way they made the
                                             results show protein is good for the bones. To devise research
                                             that appears to contradict hundreds of articles published over
                                             the past 35 years, you only have to provide sufficient alkaline
                                             material in the diet of the people being studied to neutralize
                                             the acid from the animal foods.  This was accomplished by
                                             studying populations that have diets high in neutralizing fruits
                                             and vegetables; the other approach employed was to add a strong
                                             alkali source to the experiment, such as an antacid pill (wafer),
                                             calcium citrate (like Citracal).
                                             
                                             Once the acid from the food is neutralized, then any bone building
                                             factors that might be present in meat and dairy can exert their
                                             effects. High protein foods, and especially dairy foods, raise the
                                             levels of a powerful growth-stimulating hormone in the body, called
                                             insulin-like growth factor-1 or IGF-1. Stimulation of bone growth
                                             by this hormone is now being offered as the reason dairy products
                                             build strong bones. It has long been necessary for them to find a
                                             more scientifically supportable explanation, because the bulk of
                                             the research shows the calcium in dairy foods has little or no
                                             benefit for bone health. (50-52)
                                             
                                             The UMP Will Not Promote the Fact that IGF-1 is a Powerful
                                             Cancer Promoter
                                             
                                             Consumption of animal products increases the levels of
                                             insulin-like growth factor-1 in your body. However, modern
                                             dairy technology has made dairy products an even more potent
                                             source of this growth stimulant. Since 1985, U.S. dairy
                                             farmers have been allowed to inject cows with recombinant bovine
                                             growth hormone (rbGH), a genetically engineered bovine growth
                                             hormone that increases milk production. RbGH treatment produces
                                             an increase in IGF-1 in cow's milk, by as much as 10-fold. (53,54)
                                             IGF-1 is not destroyed by pasteurization. (53) The overall effect
                                             is that milk seems to raise IGF-1 levels in people more than any
                                             other component of our diet. (55)
                                             
                                             The direct evidence of the effects of cow's milk on IGF-1 levels
                                             in people has been provided by the dairy industry's own efforts.
                                             Two recent studies, one on adolescent girls and the other on
                                             post-menopausal women, showed increasing milk consumption actually raises
                                             plasma levels of IGF-1 in the person's body by an average of 10%.
                                             (56,57)
                                             
                                             Their take on this is, "this is a beneficial effecT" because IGF-1
                                             stimulates bone growth. But, the actual lasting consequences should
                                             deliver the final deathblow to dairy products: IGF-1 promotes the
                                             growth of cancer. This growth promoter has been strongly linked to
                                             the development of cancer of the breast, prostate, lung, and colon.
                                             (58)  Excess IGF-1 stimulates cell proliferation and inhibits cell
                                             death - two activities you definitely don't want when cancer cells
                                             are involved. (58)
                                             
                                             There is more to cancer promotion by dairy foods than IGF-1. Most
                                             dairy products are high in saturated fat - and fat is the number
                                             one suspect when it comes to the cause of most common cancers in
                                             Western societies (for example, breast, prostate, colon, kidney,
                                             pancreas). Recent studies have linked the sugar (lactose) and fat
                                             in milk with ovarian cancer, (59,60)  and the calcium in milk
                                             lowers concentrations of a specific form of vitamin D that protects
                                             against prostate cancer, raising men's overall risk. (61,62)
                                             (See my February 2003 Newsletter for more information on diet and
                                             prostate cancer.) Hormones (estrogens) are also involved in cancers
                                             of reproductive organs, like breast and uterine cancer. There are
                                             several reasons dairy products raise a woman's hormone levels
                                             causing a variety of hormone-dependent problems from early onset
                                             of menstruation (menarche) to PMS and uterine fibroids - but one
                                             is unique to cow's milk.  Cows are milked even while they are
                                             pregnant. As a result of the pregnancy, cows secrete high levels
                                             of estrogen into their milk. (63)
                                             
                                             Will the UMP Advertise that Dairy Is Simply Liquid Meat?
                                             
                                             Red meat has become a "dirty word" when it comes to health.
                                             At the opposite end of the spectrum of opinions on food is
                                             cow's milk - one of the world'S most trusted foods. Do you
                                             remember the "Basic Four Food Groups?" Dairy was usually placed
                                             first in this chart which was hung in every schoolroom (and by
                                             no coincidence the dairy industry also provided the chart).
                                             
                                             Dairy products are deficient in iron and beef is deficient in
                                             calcium; both contain too little dietary fiber, essential fat
                                             (linoleic acid), and vitamin C and B3 (niacin) to meet human
                                             nutritional requirements. (64)  Heavy consumption of either of
                                             these food groups - loaded with fat and cholesterol - will result
                                             in the diseases common to affluent societies, such as obesity,
                                             heart disease, strokes, type-2 diabetes and cancer, to name
                                             just a few serious problems. (65)
                                             
                                             If a patient bargained with me, "I'll give up only one of the
                                             first two food groups "meat or milk" - hopes of getting well,"
                                             my recommendation for almost all common health problems in
                                             Western society would be, "You're likely to get the most benefits
                                             if you give up the dairy products."
                                             
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