Have you noticed that just about every magazine publication in America reserves an entire page featuring celebrities donning a white mustache portraying the infamous ad that proclaims, "Milk does the body good?" Contrary to what the star-studded ads declare, my suspicion of milk related health issues led me to question, "Does milk really do the body good?"
My curiosity on this subject eventually became a research paper for a college course. Studies confirmed that milk is in fact related to several health issues ranging from allergies, digestive disorders, and ear infections in children to the most extreme health concern-cancer.
For this particular research paper, I focused my research on the link between milk and cancer. A recent study from the Medical School at Harvard showed that a growth producing hormone called IGF-1 has been shown to increase normal and cancerous cells in the breast and colon. Cows that receive shots of the growth hormone rBGH, also known as rBST (recombinant bovine growth hormone), are shown to have high levels of the IGF-1 in the milk.
Dr. Samuel Epstein, a scientist reveals in his article in the International Journal of Health Sciences the dangers of IGF-1 hormones in the milk from cows given synthetic bovine growth hormone. He claims that IGF-1 used in milk production of cows could be a possible cause for breast and gastrointestinal cancers. Experimentation in rats has proved this to be a fact, and moreover, the hormone has been shown to speed up the production of the breast cancer cells. This alone should stir up concerns in women young and old. Milk has been a household staple for decades, and to be challenged health-wise is mind boggling to many.
What is interesting is that other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and Japan have prohibited the use of this hormone while the United States continues to sell milk and dairy products with questionable health risks to the public. The FDA tried to prevent the labeling on the milk treated with rBGH, thus keeping the public from making decisions based on what is best for them. You can now find dairy and milk products without hormones. It will usually have a seal on the carton that says, "Milk from cows not treated with rBST." Until recently, organic milk was only carried primarily in health food stores; however, we are now seeing an increase number of mainstream supermarkets starting to offer the organic option.
Even though the FDA may give their seal of approval on something that is safe for our consumption, we have the right to request accurate labeling on anything that could potentially be life threatening.
According to these studies, there should be enough of a concern for those who consume conventional milk, to perhaps consider an alternative. Organic milk does not contain these hormones.
What is the difference between regular and organic milk? Organic milk is from cows that are not treated with any hormones or antibiotics. They are grass-fed, and graze in the field. Organic milk sales have increased about 20 percent a year for the last decade, driven primarily by consumer demand for hormone-free milk. Sales will continue to increase as more and more consumers are made aware of the potential health risks.
We often hear the phrase, "You are what you eat;" however, having read these findings and others alike, it might be more appropriate to rephrase it - "You are what the animal eats!"
Organic milk costs a little bit more. I've personally made the switch to organic milk a few years ago. Perhaps having this knowledge, you might want to pay the farmer a little more now than the doctor a whole lot more later?
Would you continue to drink milk if you knew it comes from cows that have been treated with hormones?
Duong Sheahan is passionate about helping people to achieve their optimal health. She is the blog owner of Live Healthier and Happier. For more articles from Duong, visit:http://www.livehealthierandhappier.com
[photo credit: Getty Images]
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