A REAL HEALTH CONCERN by Robert Cohen

I have vowed not to cite animal studies with one exception. When I find a study that FDA cites as evidence of safety, and the data reveal that FDA is not telling the truth, then I will expose FDA for the liars that they are. This week I obtained such a study.

FDA has previously determined that the genetically engineered bovine growth hormone was safe for cows.

A surreptitiously obtained Monsanto study was published in the January, 1990 issue of Pete Hardin's dairy industry newsletter MILKWEED. At that time, many Wisconsin dairymen were against Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormone. Although FDA was promoting that animal drug, one visionary dared to risk all by sharing TRUTH with his peers.

Monsanto and FDA claimed that the genetically engineered bovine growth hormone was safe for dairy cows. The actual data indicated otherwise.

Imagine an animal losing six percent of its body weight (100 pounds). What would you guess would be the effect on its body organs? Would the organs also shrink or remain the same size?

SHOCKING RESULTS

While stressed animals lost weight, their body organs grew!

Adrenal glands squirt adrenaline into a mammal's system during stressful events. This powerful chemical is responsible for the "fight or flight" response.

Cows treated with low doses of rbGH lost an average of 90 pounds, but their adrenal glands grew by a factor of 21% over the control group. The medium dose group experienced increases of 46%, while the high dosed group had adrenal growth rates of 51%.

The thyroid gland is responsible for regulating metabolism. The low dose group experienced 7% growth increases. The medium dose group experienced a 17% increase, while the high dose group experienced a 61% increase over the control group.

Liver and heart weights increased by double-digit factors in the medium and high dose groups. Ovary weights increased in excess of twenty percent in all three groups.

No biological effects? Here are the actual data:

CONTROL LOW MEDIUM HIGH GROUP DOSE DOSE DOSE

TOTAL WEIGHT 1591 lbs 1501 1509 1487

THYROID 1.24 ozs 1.33 1.45 2.00 LIVER 23.9 lbs 23.9 27.0 26.8 HEART 7.5 lbs 7.5 9.0 9.0 ADRENAL 1.15 ozs 1.39 1.68 1.73 KIDNEY 3.7 lbs 4.1 5.1 5.3 OVARY 0.82 ozs 0.99 1.07 1.10

IMPLICATIONS

FDA approved milk from these cows for America's food supply in 1987.

When we drink hormone-filled milk from stressed animals, would it be reasonable to expect that these hormones might have an effect on our bodies?

I never heard the phrase "road rage" before 1990. Today, television shows and newspaper stories carry daily accounts of anger and stress.

Student violence? Children shooting children with guns? Something is wrong with the way we act towards our fellow man. Something is wrong with the way we act towards animals. Forty percent of what the average American eats (666 pounds per year/capita) represents milk and dairy products containing powerful hormones.

The research results were an important clue, but FDA reviewers were piloting our ship, and they were asleep at the helm. The pure SCIENCE from this study does not lie. We are what we eat. Overstressed animals secrete fear and pain into their flesh and body fluids, and these chemical messengers merge into our cells and ultimately our consciousness.

-- viewer (justp@ssing.by), April 18, 2000

Answers

Q-What's the difference between a vitamin and a hormone?

A-You never heard a vita MIN

-- (bovine_babe@old.McDonald's), April 19, 2000.

One question:

Why would this bovine hormone seem to affect only men? I mean, I haven't heard in the media of girls going on school shooting sprees, or women suffering much from "road rage".

I have heard though, that testosterone shots have been in use to enhence men's musculature and other male attributes, but with side effects including the less attractive side of men such as aggressiveness. It's in this week's Time Magazine, worth a read: Are You Man Enough?

-- (bovine@schmo.vine), April 19, 2000.

Good point, bovine. Of course the article was written by a man. We keep forgetting the effects of testosterone poisoning.

-- male hormones (willgetch@every.time), April 19, 2000.

The worst road rage I ever experience was from a woman, who followed me and my friend for three blocks, tailgaiting, screaming obscenities and shaking her fist. Luckily we had to make a turn and lost her.

I guess you didn't see the woman on TV who, in a rage, followed another woman screaming at her, and finally bumped her in the rearend, causing her to crash, and lose her unborn baby, and spend months in the hospital, and more months in rehab.

I haven't drunk a drop of milk since 1987, I use Soy Milk, and I'm healthier and happier because of it. My husband who is a former dairyman, said it was one of the worst things thats happened to food, and to the cows. Now I hear the spiteful dairty industry is trying to sue companies that make and sell soy milk, for using the word milk.

Monsanto is an evil, money-grubbing, power driven company, that cares nothing for people or animals, only profits.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), April 19, 2000.

Gilda

Who said women don't get angry? And act on it? All that the above articles/discussions may have been taking into account is that the predominant number of stories of road rage/air rage seem to relate the behaviours of men. No one said those behaviours were exclusive.

While we're on the subject of rage, we know women attack and women kill. But, who's in the majority on those accounts? And, the big question, why?

I had been feeling smug about using soy beans and about drinking soy milk, like you, until I learned Monsanto has a hand in their production via GE/GM as well. Each layer brings a new batch of surprises.

-- viewer (justp@ssing.by), April 19, 2000.

I'm not convinced that BGH is harmless, or that it has no undesirable effects on the milk produced by cows where it is administered.

But the entire "link between BGH and road rage" I can find in this article consists of this:

>> FDA approved milk from these cows for America's food supply in 1987. [...] I never heard the phrase "road rage" before 1990. <<

As an argument for causation, this is, um, a pretty weak "link".

-- Brian McLaughlin (brianm@ims.com), April 19, 2000.

Thanks for your level headed answer, Viewer.

BGH could be yet just another factor in the complex causes of "road rage". IMO, stress in society in general is on the increase, and the inability to deal with anger, or more precisely the unwilingness to accept responsibility for one's anger management. A study suggesting that BGH might cause road rage is a convenient scape-goat for such people. "But your honor, wasn't my fault I ramed into that pregnant woman in anger, I've been eating too much beef and drinking too much milk containing BGH." I doubt that even if such stopped ingesting BGH, they'd suddenly turn into civilized, concerned and law abiding citizens. The same goes for male teens and men with high levels of testosterone.

-- (bovine@schmo.vine), April 19, 2000.

You know the part I find funny about this? I'd bet if you did a search on "growth hormone", the thing you'd find the most is people SELLING human growth hormone to bodybuilders, not flipping out over their milk.

Also, even if the cows are affected (and they are in some ways, or farmers wouldn't use it), that doesn't mean we will be. As an example, the cows' thyroids were bigger? So what? The thyroid has its own feedback loop (to regulate production). Does the cow have increased levels of TSH, T3, or T4? Does someone who drinks its milk?

If people are affected from drinking the milk, that would be important. Changes that happen to the cow only are the cow's problem. Wait, before you start screaming about how cruel it is to the cow, can you say the changes that occur to the cow are BAD changes? For example, the weight loss will translate into lower blood pressure, a little cardiac hypertrophy won't hurt in pumping blood either.

Maybe the growth hormone is actually lengthening the cow's lifespan. Can't really tell without better data.

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), April 19, 2000.