Got Milk? I sure hope not...

I grew up drinking 2% milk every single day.  It was a staple in the fridge and how could I eat my Lucky Charms any other way, right?  As it turns out, both were bad for my health in more ways than one, but this post is about cow's milk and Recumbent Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) and Recumbent Bovine Somatotropin (rBST), genetically engineered synthetic versions of the natural hormone Somatotropin.  It goes by the drug name, Posilac, and Monsanto was the first company to gain FDA approval in 1993, but not without controversy and under the table deals.

Let's first look at what it does.  rBGH is used by dairy farmers to increase milk production.  Thus, make more, sell more, higher profits, right?  Not so simple.  The use of the drug really only raises production 10-15%, and contributes to numerous health detriments to the cow alone.  Dairy farmers using rBGH have seen a 50% rise in lameness, significant affects on reproduction, including deformed calves, shortened lifespan of dairy cows, and a 25% increase in mastitis, a painful bacterial infection of the udder resulting in swelling, and pus and blood secretions in their milk, increasing the need for further antibiotics, and contributing to antibiotic resistant bacteria.

How did something so dangerous gain approval for use in cows, you ask?  It will not only shock you, but disappoint you to know how our government is truly failing us.  Before it's approval in 1993, several things took place.  Dr. Richard Burroughs, a senior FDA scientist, was selected to oversee the safety studies and worked on the project from 1985-1988.  He studied the findings from the Monsanto financed 90 day study on the effects of rBGH on rats.  He was later fired when he began to express concern over the drug and its side effects, which slowed down the approval process.  Burroughs sued for "unfair dismissal" and was reinstated by the FDA and then forced to work with pigs, an area he lacked the necessary qualifications, ultimately leading to his resignation, for fear of committing errors.  After his resignation, he was visited by Monsanto lawyers warning him that if he shared confidential information on rBGH that he would be sued by the giant.

So in 1989, after the exit of Burroughs, Monsanto needed an inside person.  By this time, Monsanto was aware that cows in test herds treated with rBST developed sores and udder lesions and that their milk contained increased levels of pus, blood, and bacteria.  So to deal with this, Monsanto's top dairy scientist, Margaret Miller, was moved to the FDA (We will address this 'revolving door' between Monsanto, the FDA, the USDA, and other government roles in a later post).  Once there, she was responsible for raising the antibiotic standard to allow more than 100 times the amount of the previous antibiotic level, resulting in new strains of bacteria in cows that were immune to farmer's existing antibiotics!

Monsanto's tactics don't stop there.  Monsanto has also been accused of bribing a Health Canada official to hide reports about health risks by offering $1-2 million to gain approval in Canada.

In 1990, Burroughs was quoted saying, "It used to be that we had a review process at the Food and Drug Administration.  Now we have an approval process.  I don't think the FDA is doing good, honest reviews.  They've become an extension of the drug industry."

In 2001, two investigative journalists were fired over controversy from their report on rBGH use in Florida dairies.  And according to the journalists, the station delayed their story and demanded they include inaccurate information about rBGH after Monsanto threatened the station with a lawsuit.

These artificial growth hormones are currently allowed, despite concerns from farmers, scientists, and consumers.  In 1994, the FDA even tried to prohibit dairies from claiming any difference in non rBGH treated milk from that of rBGH milk.  Monsanto has even sued dairies over the use of rBGH free labels!!  One such example is Oakhurst Dairy.  The Maine dairy was sued by Monsanto in 2003 for refusing to stop the use of their "rBGH Free" label, but eventually succumbed to the chemical giant in litigation and changed its label to add, "FDA states: No significant difference in milk from cows treated with artificial growth hormone."  Yeah, right.  Just how stupid does the FDA think we are?

Consumers are wising up, however, despite efforts by Monsanto and the FDA to keep the side effects hidden.  

Take a look at this timeline:

2007 - Chain grocers Kroger and Safeway prohibit the use of rBGH in their store brand products.

2008 (Jan) - Starbucks stops the use of their rBGH products in their stores.

2008 (Mar) - Walmart prohibits the use of rBGH in its store brand milk products

2008 (Oct) - Monsanto sells rBGH division to Eli Lilly for $300 million.

Looks to me like a 'get out while you can' deal, as those are some big markets!

Currently, rBGH/rBST is banned in over 30 countries, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Israel, Canada, and all 27 countries of the European Union, because of the dangers to animal and human health.  So just what are these risks?  The dangers to human health from ingesting rBGH are similar to those seen in dairy cows.  Milk from cows treated with these hormones have higher levels of the insulin growth factor -1 (IGF-1).  This is naturally occurring in humans, but elevated levels are linked to colon and breast cancers, and prostate cancer in men.  It can also contribute to fertility problems in humans. 

So as you can see, there are many reasons to avoid the consumption of cows milk.  Humans are the only mammal to drink milk (let alone from another species) after weaning.  Think about that for a minute.  When you do, it seems kind of unnatural, doesn't it?  Milk is only nature's perfect food if you are a calf, and if you're reading this, I am guessing you aren't a calf.  If after reading this, you still insist on drinking milk, at least look for organic milk that isn't from cows treated with these dangerous hormones.  You can also find organic or rBGH free cheese and butter out there, and now that you know what to look for, you can shop smarter!!  You don't need cow's milk in your diet.  There are plenty of other calcium sources, like almonds and kale.  Did you know that almond milk has 50% more calcium in a serving than cow's milk?  So the next time you go to pour that 2% milk on your Lucky Charms, think about the other things lurking inside, like udder pus, bacteria and hormones.  Spoons up!