Well, I just thought I'd jump into the fray here and make a few comments about the allergy issue as related to foods. Let me just say that all the foregoing discussion about reasons why milk from one mammal or another is best for people and the evil formula companies and so on is best taken with a pinch of salt. Small facts have a way of evolving with repetition to falsehoods.
The immune system is so complex that a full discussion is more the subject of an article in Nature, rather than Vocalist. There are many people who consume and tolerate cows milk very well. Some people have receptors on their immune cells that bind the various proteins in cow's milk and process them so that antibodies form. Other people do not. It's that basic. If you are allergic, don't drink it. BTW, the immune system does not react to toxins; it reacts to allergens - substances that bind to receptors and trigger the production of antibodies. Toxins are intrinsically harmful although they can also be allergens.
BTW, we do not recommend cow's milk in the first year due to an association with iron loss and anemia. Formula gets its protein from cow's milk or soy. While the amino acids are balanced to resemble human milk, formula is not sufficiently close to be an adequate substitute. If you are born with a genetic predisposition to eczema, allergies, asthma you have a higher risk of getting these early in life if exposed to the antigens early.
Human milk is not tolerated by severely lactose intolerant babies since the sugar in human milk is lactose. If a child is born severely deficient in lactase enzymes, s/he will have trouble with human milk. There are several lactose-free formulas available.
I avoid giving advice on this list about pedagogy or other strictly vocal issues since I have neither the training nor the experience. I listen to and evaluate what others say for the benefits I can gain. Similarly, I would respectfully ask that all list members refrain from repeating hearsay or opinion as fact when discussing biology and medicine. It will be better for those not in a position to sort the comments out if you do. Thanks.
John
John Messmer, M.D. Assistant Professor, Family & Community Medicine Penn State College of Medicine
|