"On any given day, there are more than 8 million cows on U.S. dairy farms—about 14 million fewer than there were in 1950. Yet milk production has continued to increase, from 116 billion pounds of milk per year in 1950 to 170 billion pounds in 2004.(6,7) Normally, these animals would produce only enough milk to meet the needs of their calves (around 16 pounds per day), but genetic manipulation, antibiotics, and hormones are used to force each cow to produce more than 18,000 pounds of milk each year (an average of 50 pounds per day)."
"at least 5% of milk on shop shelves is reportedly contaminated with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), a bacterium linked to Crohn's disease."
"Milk contains Insulin Growth Factor (IGF). IGF-1 is very rich in milk. It's doubly rich in modern milk, partly because cows have been selectively reared to produce milk during pregnancy. This milk is especially rich in oestrogen. On top of that, in the US cows are treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH), which is a growth hormone capable of further increasing milk yield by about 12 per cent. All this means a cow's daily milk production has gone from 3 to 30 litres. Not surprisingly, this milk has two to five times the amount of IGF-1, while the beef from a BST treated animals has about double the IGF. Casein, the protein in milk, helps to carry the IGF into us. The more milk you drink the higher your blood level of IGF-1."
"In addition to digestive problems, milk has been linked to ailments ranging from acne and weight gain to heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Plus, according to a Harvard Medical School analysis of the evidence, milk does not protect against osteoporosis. The study revealed that countries with low calcium intake (just 300 mg/day) tend to have a lower incidence of hip fractures (an indication of osteoporosis) than those with higher calcium consumption rates."
"dairy can cause digestive disorders and allergies. Most adults are unable to properly digest milk sugar (lactose). The enzymes needed to digest lactose typically phase out of the human body around age seven, when they would no longer be needed in nature. Your body responds to undigested lactose with mucous and inflammation.
Excess mucous in your system will clog up your digestive and respiratory tracts. The common results are frequent colds, asthma, allergies, sinus problems, tumors, cysts, constipation, colon trouble, Candidiasis, and excess weight. People suffering from these conditions often experience “miraculous” recovery when they eliminate dairy from their diet or find a healthy milk substitute.
Eating dairy products also contributes to an acidic condition in your body. An acidic body is the perfect environment for a wide variety of diseases. "
"The cows are milked throughout their pregnancies and pushed to their limit of milk production, stimulating the release of stress and sex hormones into the milk. The presence of these hormones has been linked to the early onset of puberty of young girls in industrialized countries as well as the development of hormone related cancers (breast, prostate and ovarian). This is true, albeit to a lesser extent, of commercial organic milk as well.
Cows on factory farms are exposed to high levels of environmental toxins from their feed, water and surroundings. The cow’s body naturally protects itself by storing these toxins in its fatty tissues and milk. Consequently, high levels of concentrated dioxins, pesticides and other toxins wind up in the commercial milk supply. When tested, modern milk shows a 400% higher pesticide level than an equivalent sample of grains.
In addition to this contamination, all commercial milk is pasteurized and homogenized. Pasteurization is designed to kill harmful bacteria. It also destroys nutrients and the vital enzymes needed to digest the milk.
Homogenization breaks apart the fat molecules so the cream and milk no longer separate. This practice has serious health repercussions. Homogenization allows the enzyme Xanthine Oxidase (XO) to enter the bloodstream instead of being excreted as it normally would. This XO enzyme passes easily through the intestinal lining. There it acts as little knives inside your veins and arteries, cutting away at the artery walls. Your body makes cholesterol to repair these wounds. This process leads to atherosclerosis, high cholesterol and heart disease. These diseases are now being discovered even in the bodies of very young children and homogenized milk is suspected as the cause."
.
