Got Milk? (was Re: Baby-making)

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From: Eugene Leitl (eugene.leitl@lrz.uni-muenchen.de)
Date: Thu Sep 21 2000 - 00:43:40 PDT


Grlygrl201@aol.com writes:

> Campbell argues that the ultimate problem with cow's milk is that nature
> concocts different formulas of mother's milk for different species. What's
> good for baby calves isn't necessarily good for human babies or adults.

1) Lactase level (arbitrarily chosen factor) is higher in infants than adults.

2) Lactase level in adults of different ethnicity can vary widely, for
   instance Danes and Chinese lying at oposite ends of the lactase deficiency
   axis. (Origin: evolutionary adaptation. Danes have been in dairy
   business for a far longer time than Chinese, most of which still
   shun milk and all things dairy. I don't have to tell you what this means).

3) Human milk contains a lot of known and unknown factors (some of them
   essential for establishment of infant immune system) which are not
   present in milk of other species. I would assume it could even make
   a difference of whether this is the biological or foster
   mother. Breast-feeding is good (unless the mom works in a
   PCB/dioxine/insecticide refining factory, or somesuch)

> "Isn't it strange that we're the only species that suckles from another
> species?" he says. Campbell theorizes that cow's milk unnaturally stimulates

Humans have been known to do a lot of strange things and engage in
activities which the average Holstein just doesn't do.

"Isn't it strange that we're the only species that uses thermonuclear
weapons for intraspecies aggression?" You bet.

> enzymes and growth hormones in the human body that increase the risk of
> various diseases. Moreover, he has come to the conclusion that cow's milk may

Golly, that Campbell chap seems to have some darn fine equipment upstairs.

> not even do what it is supposed to do best— build strong bones. And recent
> studies suggest that humans may need less calcium for strong bones than was
> once believed and that other foods, including various vegetables and legumes,
> may be better sources than cow's milk.

1) Milk (of any species) is probably not good staple diet for
   adult animals of any species.

2) Dairy fat is not good for you. Nor is peanut fat, but I digress.

3) Skim milk yoghurt is probably good for you

4) While considering food as a complex mixture of molecules is
   rational, assuming that you know everything what's in it and
   what all the individual molecular doohickeys in it do is not.
   So deviating too far from what you've been designed to is
   likely to cause problems. Duh.


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