Stop The torture, Death and disease caused by the Dairy Industry

Mr. President,
For years we have heard "Milk it does a body good", this propaganda has permeated our culture, and it is not true. Studies have been available for 10 years that show the damage to the body and the environment associated with dairy and the dairy industry. We require black box labels on many dangerous, or potentially dangerous drugs, in this country.  We need these warnings on food products.  Not only do we need warnings, we also want the false advertising  to stop. Many studies have shown that countries who do not consume dairy have little or none of the diseases which are rampant in the US the UK and Australia.
Here is an excerpt from Nutrition MD:
NutritionMD.org

This page can be found at:

Making Sense of Foods
Understanding the Problems with Dairy Products

Many Americans, including some vegetarians, still consume large amounts of dairy products. Here are eight great reasons to eliminate dairy products from your diet.

1. Osteoporosis

Milk is touted for preventing osteoporosis, yet clinical research shows otherwise. The Harvard Nurses%u2019 Health Study,1 which followed more than 75,000 women for 12 years, showed no protective effect of increased milk consumption on fracture risk. In fact, increased intake of calcium from dairy products was associated with a higher fracture risk. An Australian study2 showed the same results. Additionally, other studies3-4 have also found no protective effect of dairy calcium on bone. You can decrease your risk of osteoporosis by reducing sodium and animal protein intake in the diet,5-7 increasing intake of fruits and vegetables,8 exercising,9 and ensuring adequate calcium intake from plant foods such as leafy green vegetables and beans, as well as calcium-fortified products such as breakfast cereals and juices.

2. Cardiovascular Disease

Dairy products%u2014including cheese, ice cream, milk, butter, and yogurt%u2014contribute significant amounts of cholesterol and fat to the diet.10 Diets high in fat and saturated fat can increase the risk of several chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease. A low-fat vegetarian diet that eliminates dairy products, in combination with exercise, smoking cessation, and stress management, can not only prevent heart disease, but may also reverse it.11 Non-fat dairy products are available; however, they pose other health risks as noted below.

3. Cancer

Several cancers, such as ovarian cancer, have been linked to the consumption of dairy products. The milk sugar lactose is broken down in the body into another sugar, galactose. In turn, galactose is broken down further by enzymes. According to a study by Daniel Cramer, M.D., and his colleagues at Harvard,12 when dairy product consumption exceeds the enzymes%u2019 capacity to break down galactose, it can build up in the blood and may affect a woman%u2019s ovaries. Some women have particularly low levels of these enzymes, and when they consume dairy products on a regular basis, their risk of ovarian cancer can be triple that of other women.

Breast and prostate cancers have also been linked to consumption of dairy products, presumably related, at least in part, to increases in a compound called insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I).13-15 IGF-I is found in cow%u2019s milk and has been shown to occur in increased levels in the blood by individuals consuming dairy products on a regular basis.16 Other nutrients that increase IGF-I are also found in cow%u2019s milk. A recent study showed that men who had the highest levels of IGF-I had more than four times the risk of prostate cancer compared with those who had the lowest levels.14

4. Diabetes

Insulin-dependent diabetes (Type I or childhood-onset) is linked to consumption of dairy products. Epidemiological studies of various countries show a strong correlation between the use of dairy products and the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes.17,18 Researchers in 199218 found that a specific dairy protein sparks an auto-immune reaction, which is believed to be what destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.

5. Lactose Intolerance

Lactose intolerance is common among many populations, affecting approximately 95 percent of Asian Americans, 74 percent of Native Americans, 70 percent of African Americans, 53 percent of Mexican Americans, and 15 percent of Caucasians.19 Symptoms, which include gastrointestinal distress, diarrhea, and flatulence, occur because these individuals do not have the enzymes that digest the milk sugar lactose. Additionally, along with unwanted symptoms, milk-drinkers are also putting themselves at risk for development of other chronic diseases and ailments.

6. Vitamin D Toxicity

Consumption of milk may not provide a consistent and reliable source of vitamin D in the diet. Samplings of milk have found significant variation in vitamin D content, with some samplings having had as much as 500 times the indicated level, while others had little or none at all.20,21 Too much vitamin D can be toxic and may result in excess calcium levels in the blood and urine, increased aluminum absorption in the body, and calcium deposits in soft tissue.

7. Contaminants

Synthetic hormones such as recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) are commonly used in dairy cows to increase the production of milk.13 Because the cows are producing quantities of milk nature never intended, the end result is mastitis, or inflammation of the mammary glands. The treatment requires the use of antibiotics, and traces of these and hormones have been found in samples of milk and other dairy products. Pesticides and other drugs are also frequent contaminants of dairy products.

8. Health Concerns of Infants and Children

Milk proteins, milk sugar, fat, and saturated fat in dairy products may pose health risks for children and lead to the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and formation of athersclerotic plaques that can lead to heart disease.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants below one year of age not be given whole cow%u2019s milk, as iron deficiency is more likely on a dairy-rich diet. Cow%u2019s milk products are very low in iron. If they become a major part of one%u2019s diet, iron deficiency is more likely.10 Colic is an additional concern with milk consumption. One out of every five babies suffers from colic. Pediatricians learned long ago that cows%u2019 milk was often the reason. We now know that breastfeeding mothers can have colicky babies if the mothers are consuming cow%u2019s milk. The cows%u2019 antibodies can pass through the mother%u2019s bloodstream into her breast milk and to the baby.22 Additionally, food allergies appear to be common results of milk consumption, particularly in children. A recent study23 also linked cow%u2019s milk consumption to chronic constipation in children. Researchers suggest that milk consumption resulted in perianal sores and severe pain on defecation, leading to constipation.

Milk and dairy products are not necessary in the diet and can, in fact, be harmful to your health. Consume a healthful diet of grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and fortified foods including cereals and juices. These nutrient-dense foods can help you meet your calcium, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin D requirements with ease%u2014and without the health risks.

Copyright © 2011, NutritionMD.org
http://www.nutritionmd.org

Not to over burden you with too much information, but i feel the need to cite some sources of studies.
Here they are :
 1. HEART ATTACKS, STROKES, AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE six times more heart attacks in milk drinkers
      Briggs, R. "Myocardial Infarction in Patients Treated with Sippy and other high Milk Diets,", Circulation, 21:538, 1960
      Hartroft, W. "The Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease in Patients Treated with the Sippy Diet" American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 15:205, 1964
      Muscari A, Puddu GM, et al. Serum IgA antibodies to apoproteins and milk-proteins in severe atherosclerosis. Ann Ital Med Int 1992 Jan-Mar;7(1):7-12

      Annand JC Denatured bovine immunoglobulin pathogenic in atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis 1986 Mar;59(3):347-51
     
   2. DIABETES and AUTISM - milk antibodies in blood of diabetic children, milk protein induced brain injury (my son is 22 yrs old and has Autism)
      Dosch, Hans-Michael, "The Possible Link Between Insulin Dependent (Juvenile) Diabetes Mellitus and Dietary Cow Milk" Clin Biochem, Vol 26 pp 307-308 August1993

      Vaarala O, Paronen J, et al Cow milk feeding induces antibodies to insulin in children--a link between cow milk and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus? Scand J Immunol 1998 Feb;47(2):131-5

      Arya V, Bhatia E Immune response to beta casein in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Natl Med J India 1997 May-Jun;10(3):127-8

      Fava D, Monetini L, et al Cell-mediated immune response to beta casein in recent-onset insulin-dependent diabetes: implications for disease pathogenesis. Lancet 1996 Oct 5;348(9032):926-8

      Sun, ZJ, Cade JR, et al "Beta-casomorphin induces Fos-like immunoreactivity in discrete brain regions relevant to schizophrenia and autism" Autism March 1999 vol 3(1) 67-83
      Sun, ZJ, Cade JR "A peptide found in schizophrenia and autism causes behavioral changes in rats" Autism 1999 vol 3(1) 85-95
     
   3. CANCER - breast, ovarian, prostate, lung cancer all dairy linked
      Westin, Jerome B. "Carcinogens in Israeli Milk: A Study in Regulatory Failure" International Journal of Health Services, Vol 23 No 3 pp. 497- 517 1993 Baywood Publishing Co. Inc
    
   4. ANTIBIOTIC RESIDUES 30 to 80 different antibiotics cause chronic resistant infections
      
   5. PESTICIDE RESIDUES linked to cancer, chronic fatigue, infertility
      
   6. HORMONE RESIDUES - menstrual problems, osteoporosis
      Baldini, M, Coni, E. et.al. "Presence and Assessment of Xenobiotic Substances in Milk and Dairy Products" Ann. Ist. Super. Sanita Vol. 26, N. 2 (1990) pp 167-176

      Mepham, TB Public health implication of bovine somatotrophin use in dairying: discussion paper Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, Vol 85 Dec1992 pp. 736-739

      
   7. OSTEOPOROSIS - National Dairy Council study shows bone loss caused by milk drinking
      Lovendale, M. " The Impact of Dairy Products on Human Health, the Environment, and the National Budget" Advanced Health Journal March 1993 No. 4, Advanced Health Center, Monarch Beach, CA 92629
     
   8. LEUKEMIA VIRUSES - 20% of all cows carry leukemia viruses
      Ferrer, J. Milk of dairy cows frequently contains a leukemogenic virus Science 213:1014 1981
    
   9. ALLERGIES, ASTHMA, CHRONIC SINUSITIS
      Gerard J.W. Mackenzie J.W.A. Goluboff N. et.al. Cows Milk Allergy: Prevalence and Manifestation in an Unselected Series of Newborns Acta Paediatr Scand. Supplement 234 1973
   
 10. DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS, CANDIDA OVERGROWTH caused by allergy and antibiotic residues

Sir, if the government continues to allow this false advertising and propaganda for profit, at the health risk of US citizens, then you are setting the government up for many law suits. I as a tax payer do not want to pay for damages paid to consumers, when the government was fully aware of the dangers.

Thank You Sincerely for taking your valuable time to investigate the facts presented in this petition.