Untreated milk cuts children's allergies
- From: "vakker" <vakker@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 06:05:40 GMT
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=399520&in_page_id=1774
Untreated milk cuts children's allergies
By PAT HAGAN, Daily Mail Last updated at 22:16pm on 7th August 2006
Drinking 'raw' milk could reduce children's risk of suffering
allergy-related conditions such as eczema and hayfever, new research
suggests.
British academics investigating why farmers' families suffer fewer allergies
than others found that even occasional consumption of raw - unpasteurised -
milk had a powerful effect.
Just a couple of glasses a week reduced a child's chances of developing
eczema by almost 40 per cent and hayfever by 10 per cent.
Blood tests revealed that drinking raw milk more than halves levels of
histamine, a chemical pumped out by cells in response to an allergen.
It is thought the milk contains bacteria that help to prime the immune
system.
But the findings, published in the Journal Of Allergy, Asthma And
Immunology, are controversial because unpasteurised milk is also a source of
potentially fatal food-poisoning bugs.
Raw milk was banned from sale in Scotland 20 years ago, and can be sold by
farmers in England and Wales only with labels clearly warning of the risks.
There has been a huge increase in the number of children suffering allergies
in the past 30 years. One in three is now affected by eczema, hayfever or
asthma - double the level 20 years ago.
And in the past ten years, the number of people needing emergency hospital
treatment for severe allergic reactions has trebled to about 6,000 a year.
One of the biggest mysteries is why children raised on farms seem to suffer
less than those in towns and cities, even though they are exposed to many
more allergens.
When researchers at the University of London analysed the diet and health of
4,700 primary school children in Shropshire, they found that those who lived
on farms had significantly fewer symptoms of asthma, hayfever and eczema.
The study looked at whether children were breast-fed and how often they were
in contact with animals or played in barns. The greatest benefits were found
to come from drinking raw milk.
Blood samples showed raw milk drinkers had 60 per cent lower levels of an
antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE).
When the immune system comes into contact with an allergen, it overreacts by
pumping out huge quantities of IgE.
The antibody causes cells to release histamine into the bloodstream and it
is this release that triggers allergy symptoms.
'It might be that even relatively infrequent exposure to unpasteurised milk
is sufficient to have a protective effect,' the researchers concluded.
But some experts are warning parents that any benefits are still far
outweighed by the chances of their child becoming infected with organisms
such as E. coli and campylobacter, two of the main food-poisoning bugs.
'Even if there are benefits in terms of allergies, the risks from drinking
unpasteurised milk are just too great,' says Professor Hugh Pennington, a
retired microbiologist who has investigated some of Britain's worst food
poisoning outbreaks.
'Pasteurisation is there as a safety net to kill off any bugs.'
Pasteurised milk sold in supermarkets has been heated to 71C for 15 seconds.
This destroys bad bacteria and extends the shelf life.
But some campaigners believe it also kills off good bacteria which help
protect the gut against disease, and significantly reduces the milk's
vitamin content.
Unpasteurised cow's or goat's milk has not been heat-treated, and still
contains bacteria from the animal.
Sold as 'green top' bottled milk, it accounts for about one per cent of milk
sales in England and Wales and is available only direct from farms, or
through farmers' markets.
It is estimated that about 130 dairy farms sell raw milk.
The Chartered Institute Of Environmental Health is pushing for a ban on
sales of unpasteurised milk in England.
But John Barron, from Beaconhill Farm in Herefordshire, says demand is
growing for raw milk produced by his 40-strong herd of Jersey cows.
He sells about 50 litres a week, at £1 a litre, from his farm and through
markets.
'I've got lots of customers who give it to their children and there has
never been a single case of food poisoning,' he says.
'I get inquiries from as far as Manchester, Birmingham and Yorkshire from
people wanting to know where they can get hold of raw milk.
'I even get calls from cancer victims because they believe it will help
them. Demand is definitely growing.'
.
- Prev by Date: Re: State Brings New Charges Against Dangerous Doctor
- Next by Date: Re: VAERS Data: A possible source of bias
- Previous by thread: Natural Health Yellow Pages going international
- Next by thread: Re: Support this bill
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
