Guest guest Posted March 20, 2003 Report Share Posted March 20, 2003 : Wed, 19 Mar 2003 21:40:03 -0500 HSI - Jenny Thompson Skimming & Scamming SKIMMING & SCAMMING Health Sciences Institute e-Alert March 19, 2003 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, When you talk about calcium - it never fails - someone is going to ask about milk. In a recent e-Alert ( " Skinny Dipping " 3/4/03) I told you about a study that showed how calcium intake may help those on a diet lose weight. One of the e-mail responses we received provides a perfect opportunity to take a look at some of the controversies surrounding milk. We've written about milk's pros and cons in previous Members Alerts and e-Alerts, but the mythology still persists that " Milk does a body good. " ----------------------------- The baby cow connection ----------------------------- The e-mail comes from a member named Amanda, who writes: " I have a question concerning whole milk and skim milk. I was raised on skim milk and like it much better than whole milk. I've heard that skim has every bit of nutrients and calcium that whole has, just minus those nasty fat grams. My question is, does the pasteurization process in skim delete or add any harm, as opposed to whole? " I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., to give us his take on Amanda's question, and he responded with these comments: " Pasteurized, homogenized milk does not qualify as food in my opinion. Even skim milk is homogenized (it's too much trouble to not send it through the same machinery), and the homogenization process breaks up an enzyme (xanthine oxidase), which in its altered (smaller) state can enter the bloodstream and react against arterial walls, causing the body to protect the area with a layer of cholesterol. " Pasteurization also destroys enzymes through its heating process. The skimming process makes the remaining nutrients more difficult to absorb. For one thing, the calcium is better absorbed in the presence of milk fat (though the high amount of fat in whole milk is for very-fast-growing baby cows, not baby people). " The politics of running the certified raw milk dairies out of business is as sickening as the 'modern' milk we're now forced to drink. It was consistently shown that there were fewer bacteria in raw milk than the pasteurized variety! The problem is, it takes far more care and procedural hassle to pull it off, and the 'big boys' weren't into that. That's why the wonderful, certified raw milk from Alta Dena, Mathis, and other dairies is a thing of the past. " Cow's milk is for baby cows...processed milk is for nobody who desires optimal health. " ----------------------------- Feeling it in your bones ----------------------------- In an e-Alert I sent you some time ago ( " Get All the Calcium You Need...Without Milk " 8/9/01), Dr. Spreen told us that cultured products (kefir, yogurt) and enzymatically altered products (cheese, etc.) are acceptable in moderation. But he listed several additional reasons why milk is unhealthy, including: * Calcium in milk is not well absorbed (and even less so once homogenized) * There isn't enough magnesium in milk * There's evidence that the antibodies the body makes to digest milk are closely related to the antibodies that destroy islet cells (insulin producers) in the pancreas in cases of juvenile diabetes * Milk contains pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, and Bovine Growth Hormone But what about the " strong bones " claims you hear from America's Dairy Farmers and Milk Processors (the milk moustache people)? A 12-year Harvard study of 80,000 nurses showed that a high intake of milk appeared to actually increase the risk of bone fractures. And other studies have shown mounting evidence that milk may play a role in a variety of health problems, including prostate cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, anemia, MS, and leukemia. For more detailed information about the highs and lows of milk, Dr. Spreen recommends Dr. William Campbell Douglass' book " Eat Your Cholesterol! " (previously titled " The Milk Book " ), in which Dr. Douglass (in his typical lively writing style) explains the many nutritional differences between pasteurized milk and raw milk. Unfortunately, whole raw milk from pasture-fed cows is quickly disappearing from the American scene. In fact, the milk industry has effectively cut off almost all sales of raw milk. You can still purchase it directly from some local dairy farmers, but its sale in stores is illegal throughout the U.S., except in Georgia and California. Like Dr. Spreen, I also highly recommend " Eat Your Cholesterol! " - available from Rhino Publishing, S.A. (rhinopublish.com). ************************************************************** ....and another thing Spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere tomorrow afternoon. So at some point today or tomorrow you're likely to hear someone mention that an egg can be balanced on end at the exact moment of the vernal equinox. It's an interesting and quirky phenomenon, but have you ever tried it? I did once, with a group of friends. We didn't have much success - one or two eggs balanced for a moment, but most of the eggs rolled over. The fact is (as I've since learned), if you try to stand an egg on end at ANY time of the year, you'll succeed with one or two if you're patient enough. In other words: there's no evidence that this supposed fun science " fact " about stand-up eggs and the vernal equinox is true. That's the bad news. The good news is that eggs are quite good for you. In fact, I recently came across a couple of articles with startling headlines: " Eggs 'Protect Against Breast Cancer' " read one. The other, even more promising, claimed: " Eggs Can Prevent Breast Cancer. " But before you run out to your local diner and order two dozen cooked sunny side up, there are a few additional details you should know about. The headlines above came from articles about a Harvard Medical School study reported in the journal Breast Cancer Research. Harvard doctors questioned more than 120,000 women for information about their teenage eating habits. The data showed that women were less likely to develop breast cancer if they had eaten eggs on a regular basis between the ages of 12 to 18. Also less likely to develop breast cancer were those who consumed more dietary fiber and vegetable fat as teenagers. But young women who ate high amounts of butter were apparently more likely to develop the disease. Women who participated in this study ranged in age from 40 to 65. So one of the obvious weaknesses of this study is that it's based on recalled information. When you're asking for dietary information that goes back several decades, the results have to be taken with a grain of salt. I can honestly say I don't remember what I ate for breakfast on my way to high school. Another weakness is the simple assumption that the eggs brought a health benefit rather than the possibility that other, less-nutritious breakfast alternatives might be harmful. Let's face it, if you're eating eggs for breakfast, you're probably not eating doughnuts and danish. Nevertheless, if this research focuses us on the nutritional value of eggs, I'm all for seeing it make headlines. Eggs contain proteins, essential amino acids, vitamins B, D, A, and Riboflavin, and minerals, including calcium, potassium, and iron. The Harvard researchers did note that further studies are needed to strengthen connections between specific dietary habits with incidence of breast cancer. A spokesperson for a UK organization called Breakthrough Breast Cancer agreed, by adding that they would, " continue to advise all women to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. " Going out on a limb on that one! But I second the motion. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** ************************************************************** Sources: " Eggs 'Protect Against Breast Cancer' " BBC News, 2/24/03 " Eggs Can Prevent Breast Cancer " Dr. Joseph Mercola, mercola.com, 3/15/03 Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. 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