When faced with the reality of our own mortality, among the first causes of death that come to mind are heart disease and cancer. In fact, diseases have become part of the décor that surrounds us in day-to-day life, and the inevitability of our bodies succumbing to the horrors of disease is constantly being drilled into our consciousness. It has become almost normal to expect that one day, we, too, will suffer from the effects of a heart attack, mental degeneration from alzheimer's, or another disease that ravishes the body and spirit. We live in fear of growing old, because growing older means that we are closer to the impending stroke or are just one step away from brittle, weak bones from osteoporosis. These diseases that we fear are not unlike the monster under the bed or the boogy-man in the closet, waiting for their chance for the light to go off so they can reek havoc on our bodies. We hide under our covers like small children, clutching our security blanket of health insurance, medical drugs and expensive tests, trying to keep the monsters at bay, not seeing that all we need to do is stand up and turn on the light.

Like the lightening that lights the darkened sky in a thunderstorm, we receive bits of information that give us a glimpse at the façade the "monsters" have created to keep us ignorant and passive. Suddenly, almost all of us, in one way or another, are associated with someone who has breast cancer, whether it is ourselves, our mother, grandmother, aunt, friend, acquaintance, co-worker, etc. And when we stop and consider the enormity of breast cancer, we realize that the disease has reached crisis levels. Most adults have personally witnessed the shocking rise in cancers of all kinds over a very short period of time. Of course we all want cures, and of course we all want answers to our questions of why this is happening. Maybe we are just not looking in the right places.

BST - an Introduction

Our favorite chemical company, Monsanto (the producers of Agent Orange, and Aspartame), managed to get their first genetically modified food approved from the FDA in 1993. The food is one that has been consumed by virtually all non-vegan americans - milk! Known as POSILAC, rBST (bovine somatotrophin) or rBGH (bovine growth hormone), this artificial rendition of a cow's natural growth hormones is injected into cows so that they will produce more milk. Theoretically, the addition of this artificial hormone will enable dairy farmers to increase yield (from 10-25%), providing more milk for the consumers and at a cheaper cost.

The public has been weary of BST since its introduction into the food supply. In fact, BST and Monsanto have been heavily criticized for its misleading and incomplete studies of test animals and the company's influence over governing agencies. The FDA has been attacked for "looking the other way" by ignoring concrete scientific evidence that the hormone was not as safe as Monsanto was claiming. Canada and Europe immediately put a moratorium on the use of the artificial hormone. Milk from BST cows is not required to be labeled, and the FDA, dairy industry, and Monsanto stand by their claims that milk from cows injected with BST is just as safe and nutritious and no different than milk from cows who have not been treated.

IGF-1 - The Decisive Factor
Bovine growth hormone, whether naturally produced or artificially made(rBGH or rBST) and injected, works by binding with its receptor, IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor one). IGF-1 is produced naturally in cows and humans, and it regulates cell growth (cell division). Growth hormones are needed for growth, and they are very powerful hormones that work at miniscule amounts. The bovine growth hormone receptor (IGF-1) and the human growth hormone receptor (IGF-1) are exactly the same: the same seventy amino acids in the same order - they are chemically identical.
It has been proven that cows who are treated with rBGH have a substantial increase of IGF-1 concentration in the cow's milk. But what does this mean? Does in increase of IGF-1 in milk have an effect on the human body?
Monsanto, the FDA and the dairy industry assure us that IGF-1 is destroyed by pasteurization. But according to outside researcher and at least two FDA scientists, pasteurization increases IGF-1 concentration in milk. It is also not broken down in digestion as Monsanto, FDA and the dairy industry would like us to believe. While it is true that IGF-1 does break down in digestion when introduced alone, it does not break down when introduced with casein, the protein that is found in cow milk!

Despite many attempts under the Freedom of Information Act by individuals interested in this topic, the FDA and Monsanto will not release the actual raw weight data of the rats that were used in one of their major experiments. In the data that was released from this study, it can be seen that feeding low does of IGF-1 to rats for just two weeks results in significant and important weight gains in the liver and other organs. Simple logic and common sense tells us that if BST was as safe as Monsanto and the dairy industry would have us believe, there should be no problem sur-rounding the release of the raw data. What is it that they are trying so desperately to hide?

Alarming Research - What studies have shown

IGF-1 has been identified as an autocrine and endo-crine growth regulator that accelerates various types of cancer. IGF-1 is considered to play a key role in the proliferation of pan-creatic cancer cells. (J. Gillespie, Imperial College of Science, London)

IGFs play a considerable role in the regulation of glucose metabo-lism in central nervous system tumors. (R.P. Glick, Department of Neurology, Chicago)

IGFs are associated with hu-man colorectal tu-mors and colon cancer growth. (Atiq et. Al, France)
IGF -1 acts as an autocrine growth and motility factor in human sarcoma cell lines. (C.P. Minniti, In-stitute of Health, Maryland)

IGF is critically involved in the aberrant growth of human breast cancer cells. (1991, M. Lippmann)
IGFs are key factors for breast cancer growth (J.A. Figueora, University of Texas)

Studies suggest that IGF-1 and estrogen interact in a synergistic manner and regulate the growth of cancer (A. Krasnick, Israel). Maybe this is a reason why it is predominantly women who develop breast cancer?
One percent of women are diagnosed with breast cancer between ages 40-50years of age. Autopsy studies show that 39% of women in this age group have breast cancer. (Gina Kolata, NY Times)

One percent of men have prostate cancer between the ages of 60-70 years; autopsy studies show that 46% of men in this age group have prostate tumors. (Gina Kolata, NY Times)

People with acromegaly (giantism) are characterized by large hands, face, feet and head, have a higher incidence of colon tumors. Acromegaly is caused by an abnormally large amount of naturally produced IGF-1 in the human body. IGF-1 promotes cell division (cancer is un-regulated cell division).

D.N. Challacombre and E.E. Wheeler of the UK exposed human small intestine cells to IGF-1 (since it is not broken down in the stomach because of casein, the IGF-1 in milk reaches the small intestine). They found that the cells divided at an abnormally high rate.

Renato Baserg and others published their study in Cancer Research that reveals that IGF-1 promotes the growth of cancer tumors in lab animals and in humans by preventing programmed cell death.

Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer - The Crisis

Women in this country are warned about breast cancer at a very early age, and are corralled into doctors offices for mammograms. Men are warned of prostate cancer and ways to help prevent it. Cancer is on top of everyone's list of fears as they age.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death for women under fifty in the US. The American Dietetic Association reports that breast cancer is the most prevalent in countries (such as the US) where women consume high-fat, animal-based diets (milk and meat). The American Cancer Society admits that over 1/3 of the 500,000 cancer deaths in the US each year are due to diet.

The Physicians Health study of over twenty thousand doctors showed that men who consumed at least 2.5 servings of dairy per day are 30% more likely to develop prostate cancer. Men who consume a high amount of dairy increased their risks by 70%. Additionally, a study of forty one countries found that as milk consumption rose, so did prostate cancer mortality rates.

Economics and other issues

The treatment of the cow - The dairy cow has her calf taken from her just days after it is born. She is injected every two weeks with BST and is forced to produce 10-25% more milk than is natural, for up to ten weeks longer than normal. She suffers from mastitis, knee and foot disorders, ovary and reproductive problems and persistent sores and lacerations. Her udders sometimes drag on the ground because they are so heavy and full of excess milk.

Milk prices in the US are supported by state and federal programs and do not drop because of increased supply. The government buys the excess milk! We have had an excess of milk even before Monsanto created this artificial hormone. We simply do not need the extra milk! We already have a surplus, and we are inevitably paying for it with our tax dollars. We are also paying for the dairy industry's promotion of milk every time we buy milk products. Let's not forget the healthcare costs of tests, drugs and visits for the diseases that we acquire because of our food supply.

The milk we are drinking is not the pure milk our grandmothers drank. Because the cows injected with BST are often sick, antibiotics and other drugs are given, which in turn get passed into the milk! Milk from cows injected with BST are more likely to have increased pus (somatic cells) and antibiotics as well as an increased fat content and a decreased protein content. A 1998 Illinois study found over two hundred different animal drugs on dairy farms, fifty eight percent of which were not approved for use on dairy cows. The FDA test for antibiotics in milk detects only four kinds.

Cows on BST eat more. They need more energy to produce the obscene amounts of milk that they are forced to produce. They are usually fed rendered animals to help cut costs and give them the needed energy. If you read the Earth Talk articles on rendering and Mad Cow Disease, you will remember that BSE was caused by the introduction of animal product into the diet of herbivore cattle.

What can we do?
It is time to get out from under our security blankets of mammograms and insurance and turn on the light! One in eight women in this country will develop breast cancer! Over 1/4 of all men with cancer have prostate cancer!

Ask your grocers to provide you with a written statement on whether or not the milk and dairy they sell comes from BST-free farms. Shop at supermarkets, natural food stores, restaurants and cafes that offer BST-free products. If you buy dairy, buy only from companies who have gone on record as being BST-free. Buy organic.

Call the dairy companies and tell them you will not buy their products until they provide you will written assurance that their dairy or beef does not and will not come from BST cows. Contact your congress-person and demand labeling laws.

How many more people must be sacrificed for the profits of the chemical companies, medical suppliers, and dairy industry?

 

 

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