Pesticides in Milk Causing Brain Damage - Support Raw and Grass-Fed Dairy
December 22, 2015
|
17,021
views
By Dr. Mercola
Both pesticides
and dairy products have been linked to Parkinson’s disease in the past,
and a new study suggests the combination of products – pesticides in your milk – could also play a role.
The study tracked nearly 450 men from Honolulu, Hawaii, an area where
high levels of the insecticide heptachlor were used on pineapple fields
during the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s.1 Very high levels of the insecticide were found in milk in Hawaii during the ‘80s as a result.
The study revealed a strong association between heptachlor residue
and the loss of brain cells, especially among heavy milk drinkers. Among
those who drank the most milk, residues of heptachlor were found in 90
percent of brains compared to 63 percent for those who consumed no milk.
Further, those who drank more than two cups of milk per day during
the ‘60s had 40 percent fewer brain cells in the midbrain substantia
nigra (SN) area of the brain upon their death than those who drank less
milk. Diminished substantia nigra is often seen in Parkinson’s disease.
The study showed that milk intake is associated with SN neuron loss in the brain, a hallmark of Parkinson’s.
And while the milk in the study wasn’t directly tested to determine
if it was contaminated, heptachlor was known to be found at excessively
high levels in the Hawaiian milk supply during the time of the study’s
milk-intake data collection.
What Else Might Be Lurking in Your Milk?
In 2011, Spanish and Moroccan researchers used a highly sensitive test
to determine what types of medications could be found in a variety of
milk (cow, goat, and human breast milk).
They hit the chemical jackpot. Medications used to treat diseases in
both humans and animals were revealed. Among the drugs and hormones
detected were:2
| Anti-inflammatories (niflumic acid, mefenamic acid, ketoprofen, diclofenac, phenylbutazone, naproxen, flunixin, and diclofenac) | Antibiotics (florfenicol) |
Natural hormones (estrone) |
| Sex hormones (17-beta-estradiol) |
Steroid hormones (17-alpha-ethinylestradiol) |
Anti-malaria drugs (pyrimethamine) |
| Anti-fungal drugs (triclosan) |
|
|
While all types of milk tested contained chemicals, cow's milk
contained the highest levels. Some of these drugs and hormones were
given to the cows directly, while others were likely ingested from the
cattle food or contamination on the farm.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authority to require
milk be tested if evidence exists that drug residues may be in the milk
supply.
However, although the FDA has stopped some dairy farms from selling their cattle for meat after drug residue violations, this prohibition doesn’t typically extend to the milk.3
This is ironic, since the FDA and other government agencies seem to have no problem going after raw milk farmers, even when there is no evidence of contamination whatsoever.
Farmers Continue to Be Harassed for Selling Safe Raw Milk
Michael Schmidt, a raw milk farmer in Canada, has been battling with the government for decades in order to provide safe raw milk to area residents.
He has been harassed with threats, surveillance, intimidation, and
raids, even though no one has ever gotten sick from drinking the raw
milk products he provides.
Since it is illegal to sell raw milk in Canada, those who wanted to
enjoy Schmidt’s raw milk products formed the Glencolton farm share, in
which each owned a piece of a cow and could therefore legally enjoy its
milk.
The government eradicated this loophole, however, so the shareholders
moved to own the farm instead of just the cow. The government still intervened,
forcing the members to “operate with caution” out of fear that they
might be raided while trying to pick up a gallon of milk.
Although members have tried to set up meetings with government
officials to outline their concerns and reach an agreeable conclusion,
the government has not been interested.4
Surveillance Cameras Take the Raw Milk Wars to the Next Level
The case is getting even more outrageous, as the Ministry of Natural
Resources reportedly set up surveillance cameras on public property
without residents’ permission.
Schmidt and others believe the cameras’ purpose is to monitor
Glencolton farm’s raw milk production, although area police wouldn’t
disclose who owned the cameras or why they were there.
Schmidt and other residents removed the cameras and now he’s being charged with theft. As reported by Collective Evolution:5
“Neighbors of Schmidt took it upon themselves to take down
the cameras and work to discover who placed them there (and why). They
found over 80,000 images and video on SD cards of citizens jogging,
walking dogs, and moving through day-to-day life.
They called the police to find out whose cameras they were but were
unsatisfied when police refused to disclose their ownership and instead
demanded the cameras be handed over.
Schdmit refused and cited an infraction to privacy, transparency,
and justice as his main reason for not giving them up. Now, he is being
charged with theft under $5k for not sitting by while the government
invades the privacy of his community.
… All Schmidt and his advocates ask for is their right to choose
what they put into their bodies … This group of people is fighting for
way more than the right to drink raw milk.
In a way, they are a microcosm of the greater threat to our privacy
and rights, and the more we go along with whatever the state says
without question, the more we give up our individual sovereignty.”
Australians Rally for Raw Milk
In Australia, it’s illegal to sell raw milk for human consumption, so it
may instead be labeled as “bath” milk that’s sold for cosmetic
purposes. In December 2014, a 3-year-old boy from Victoria reportedly
died after drinking raw milk labeled as “bath” milk, but the coroner’s
report into the death has not been released.
After the death, the government introduced a requirement that a
bittering agent be added to all “bath” milk to prevent anyone from
drinking it.
Mark McAfee, the founder of Organic Pastures Dairy, and one of the
leaders in the raw milk movement, spoke at an event in Melbourne hosted
by the Australian Raw Milk Movement.
He believes the time is right in Australia to begin the debate about
consumption of raw milk products, and noted that the bittering agent
requirement was “continuing the charade that bath milk is not consumed
and people are taking a bath in it.”6
Milk from Grain-Fed Cows Likely Contains Glyphosate
Glyphosate
is another pesticide that’s likely to be contaminating pasteurized
milk, as many dairy farmers feed their cows genetically engineered (GE)
corn in lieu of their natural diet, grass.
Their cornfields, in turn, are sprayed with Roundup, of which glyphosate
is the active ingredient. This is even true in states like Vermont,
which was the first in the U.S. to require labeling on GE foods.
Raw milk from grass-fed cows is far less likely to be contaminated with
glyphosate, even if it’s not organic, because the cows don’t eat corn.
According to VTDigger in June 2015:7
“Most conventional Vermont dairy farmers this spring sprayed their
fields with glyphosate, a weed killer that is gaining popularity among
dairy farmers who grow corn to feed their cows.
On fields where weeds and grass are brown, many farmers have already
sprayed the herbicide this year and will likely spray again. According
to state data, nearly all of the corn grown in Vermont is genetically
engineered to survive the application of pesticides.
Over the past decade, farmers who plant ‘Roundup Ready’ corn have
increasingly turning to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s
Roundup, to kill a variety of weeds that take nutrients, water and
sunlight away from corn, which can affect yields.
In 2013, Vermont farmers and chemical applicators purchased five
times more glyphosate than they did a decade ago, according to new data
requested from the Agency of Agriculture.”
It’s unclear just how much glyphosate may be in U.S. milk because the
U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn’t test for its residues in food.
This is concerning because in a study published in The Lancet,
scientists convened by the World Health Organization found that
glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic to humans."8
Past research has also found glyphosate residues “enhance the damaging
effects of other food-borne chemical residues and toxins in the
environment to disrupt normal body functions and induce disease.”9
Glyphosate also causes extreme disruption of microbes’ function and lifecycle. What’s worse, glyphosate preferentially affects beneficial
bacteria, allowing pathogens to overgrow and take over.
In a study published in 2013, researchers even concluded that glyphosate
is a xenoestrogen that is functionally similar to estradiol, the most
potent human estrogen, and concentrations in the parts-per-trillion range had carcinogenic effects.10
Overall, glyphosate has a number of devastating biological effects,
including the following, which is why it’s a chemical you certainly do
not want in your milk:
| Nutritional deficiencies, as glyphosate immobilizes certain nutrients and alters the nutritional composition of the treated crop | Disruption
of the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids (these are essential amino
acids not produced in your body that must be supplied via your diet) |
| Increased toxin exposure (this includes high levels of glyphosate and formaldehyde in the food itself) | Impairment of sulfate transport and sulfur metabolism; sulfate deficiency |
| Systemic toxicity — a side effect of extreme disruption of
microbial function throughout your body; beneficial microbes in
particular, allowing for overgrowth of pathogens | Gut dysbiosis (imbalances in gut bacteria, inflammation, leaky gut, and food allergies such as gluten intolerance) |
| Enhancement of damaging effects of other food-borne chemical
residues and environmental toxins as a result of glyphosate shutting
down the function of detoxifying enzymes | Creation of ammonia (a
byproduct created when certain microbes break down glyphosate), which
can lead to brain inflammation associated with autism and Alzheimer's
disease |
Nutrition Group Tells the FDA: Raw Milk Cheese Is Safe
In August 2015, the FDA issued a request for comments on "potential
intervention measures to reduce the risk of foodborne illness" from raw
milk cheeses. More than 70 comments have been added, including a
comprehensive comment from the Weston A. Price Foundation. Sally Fallon
Morell, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation who is also a
cheesemaker, explained:11
"Unfortunately, the FDA is starting with an incorrect assumption,
namely that more regulations would benefit consumers of raw milk
cheeses … But the government's own data shows that there have been very,
very few outbreaks from raw milk cheeses produced under the current
regulations. Imposing additional testing or lengthening the aging period
would simply drive many artisan producers out of business and reduce
consumer choices."
Included in the Weston Price Foundation’s comments was an extensive
review of the scientific literature related to raw milk cheeses,
including their safety in comparison to pasteurized cheeses. According
to Fallon Morell:12
“The scientific studies show that the diverse community
of microorganisms in raw milk cheese effectively limits the growth of
pathogenic organisms, and thus post-process contamination is actually a
greater risk in cheeses made from pasteurized milk."
Mark McAfee has on many occasions tried to set the record straight
with U.S. authorities regarding the safety of raw milk products,
including cheese, to no avail. Most of the outbreaks associated with raw
milk cheese have been linked to illegal Mexican bath tub cheese that is
not made from raw milk produced in the U.S. – and new regulatory
requirements against illegal bathtub cheese would be “futile.”13
Support Raw, Grass-Fed Milk Products
Raw milk dairy products from organically raised pasture-fed cows rank
among some of the healthiest foods you can consume. It’s far superior
in terms of health benefits compared to pasteurized milk, and if
statistics are any indication, it’s safer, too.
While many believe that milk must be pasteurized before it
can be safely consumed, it’s worth remembering that raw milk was
consumed for eons before the invention of pasteurization. It’s also
important to realize that pasteurization is only really required for
certain kinds of milk; specifically that from cows raised in crowded and
unsanitary conditions, which is what you find in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
It really needs to be pasture-raised, NOT pasteurized. Organically
raised cows that are allowed to roam free on pasture where they can
graze for their natural food source produce very different milk. Their
living conditions promote and maintain their health and optimize their
milk in terms of the nutrients and beneficial bacteria it contains. A
number of supportive legislative efforts are underway.
This includes the Milk Freedom Act of 2014 (HR 4307) and the
Interstate Milk Freedom Act of 2014 (HR 4308), the latter of which would
allow raw milk to be sold nationwide, across state lines. HR 4308 would
also prevent the federal government from interfering with trade of raw
dairy products between states where distribution or sale of raw milk is
already legal. In 2014, Rep. Thomas Massie said:14
"As a producer of grass-fed beef, I am familiar with some of the
difficulties small farmers face when marketing fresh food directly to
consumers. Our bills would make it easier for families to buy wholesome
milk directly from farmers by reversing the criminalization of dairy
farmers who offer raw milk. The federal government should not
punish farmers for providing customers the foods they want, and states
should be free to set their own laws regulating food safety."
The fight over raw milk stands as a symbol of the much larger fight
for food freedom. If the FDA and other government agencies are allowed
to impose their view of "safe food" on consumers, raw milk won't be the
only thing lost — all food could potentially be pasteurized, irradiated,
and genetically engineered.
The effort to reclaim your right to buy and consume raw milk is leading
the way for everyone who wants to be able to obtain the food of their
choice from the source of their choice. So please, get involved! Getting
your raw milk and other food from a local organic farm or co-op is one
of the best ways to ensure you're getting high-quality food. You can
locate a raw milk source near you at the Campaign for Real Milk Website.
California residents can find raw milk retailers by using the store locator available at www.OrganicPastures.com. As with all foods, the source matters, and this is just as true with raw milk as any other food. If you’re interested in raw milk, here are tips for finding high-quality raw milk sources.
-
Spread the Word to
Friends And Family
By Sharing this Article.
-
-
-
9
inShare
-
-
-
Email
No comments:
Post a Comment