Processed cows milk linked to diabetes

Saturday, December 08, 2012 by: Joseph Bova
Tags: cows milk, diabetes, casein

(NaturalNews) We all grew up with the classical food pyramid, consuming all the proper servings of grains, dairy, and meat. Well, what if you found out that one of the main levels of the food pyramid actually could give you diabetes? Studies have indeed shown that our bodies, when reacting to A1 beta-casein in dairy, cause a diabetes-like response.

The facts

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent conditions in the western world. According to the American Diabetes Association, 18.8 million people are currently diagnosed with diabetes in the United States, seven million people are currently undiagnosed and 79 million people are classified as "pre-diabetic."

For decades, people who have developed Type I diabetes have been told that there is nothing they can do about it, that they were just "born" that way. However, studies have been done which show significantly strong evidence that auto-antibody reactions against the A1 beta-casein particles in cows' milk, may contribute to beta cell (pancreas) dysfunction and Type I diabetes. The correlation has been shown through multiple studies worldwide. The prevalence of casein consumption and diabetes diagnoses are very closely related. The suspected manner in which this occurs is through what is known as cross reactivity (micro-mimicry). Cross reactivity is when our bodies attack a foreign agent such as casein, as well as a cell type in our body. What happens is as we consume dairy products, our body has to digest the food. It breaks the dairy down into both whey and casein proteins. In cross reactivity or micro-mimicry reactions, the body attacks the casein molecule as a foreign invader, and it also begins to attack beta cells in the pancreas because they look very similar. The reaction is similar to a guy taking a girl out on a date, and the next time he goes to take her on the date, he actually takes her twin sister out. The two particles may act and look the same but obviously, we know they are not the same. Unfortunately, when the body's immune system is in "attack" mode, it sometimes gets "a little carried away." As stated by Cavallo et al (1996), it is suggested that micro-mimicry may take place between a sequence of the beta-casein protein and an epitope of the GLUT 2 transporter. This means when the body attacks the casein molecule, it will also attack the GLUT 2 transporter dealing with glucose regulation.

Think about the type of diet an average American has in 2012. If you take the high inflammatory diet that Americans have and add these micro-mimicry reactions, you can see why autoimmune disease is such a problem today. If you read the data from 1975 until 2010 in regards to dairy consumption per year, you will see an increase of 77 pounds per capita. This is a significant increase considering we have more knowledge of food now than we did in 1975.

So, does this mean that casein is the only cause of diabetes, no. It does mean; however, that before you give your kid a nice tall glass of cows' milk, think about the future repercussions. You are not giving your child diabetes, but you are increasing their chance of developing this disease. Now, there are many alternative options that are very delicious and healthy. In fact, options such as coconut milk or almond milk actually have many benefits. Now you have the information, it is up to you to choose not to be ignorant and make changes.

Sources:

http://www.betacasein.org/?p=type1-diabetes

http://www.dairydoingmore.org

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About the author:
Dr. Joseph Bova runs Bova Health and Wellness, which is located in Latham, NY. He received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree in March of this year and is currently enrolled in the Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies where he will be obtaining his specialty diplomate in functional neurology. Dr. Bova is also an attendee of Dr. Datis Kharrazian''s functional medicine seminars dealing with additional education in understanding autoimmunity, neurological diseases, nutritional suggestions, hormone regulation and much more. Dr. Bova is thankful for everyday that the Lord gives him to help patients live their lives to the fullest. You can follow Dr. Bova on twitter at BovaJoe, or at BovaHealthandWellness.com.