Milk protein linked to autism

(NaturalNews) Knowing about the health benefits of raw milk is not enough. In his book The Devil in the Milk, Dr. Kevin Woodford says we have one more lesson to learn: there is a link between the type of milk we drink and a range of serious illnesses, including heart disease, Type 1 diabetes, autism and schizophrenia. Epidemiological evidence from ten countries has demonstrated a strong association between high intake of milk from A1 positive cows and high incidence of these diseases, and has correlated very closely with World Health Organization data on the level of deaths from mental disorders.

Dr. Woodford, Professor of Farm Management and Agribusiness at Lincoln University in New Zealand, points out that milk consists of three parts: fat or cream, whey, and milk solids. The devil resides in the milk solids, composed of many different proteins along with lactose and other sugars. One of these proteins is beta casein.

All proteins are long chains of amino acids that have many branches coming off of the main chain. Beta casein is a chain with 229 amino acids and proline at number 67, at least in old fashioned cows, the ones that are A2. These include Guernseys, Jerseys, Asian and African cows. About five thousand years ago, a mutation occurred in this proline amino acid, converting it to histidine. Cows that have this mutated beta casein are the A1 cows. These are more recent breeds in the span of history, like Holsteins and Friesians.

The side chain coming off this histidine is a protein fragment known as beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM 7). The negative health effects of this fragment can be devastating because it is a powerful opiate or narcotic as well as an oxidant. Dr. Thomas Cowan has thought all along that something was "not quite right" on the milk issue. Writing for the Bovine, he says that many of his patients, in spite of trying to eat only the proper dairy products still have illnesses and are unable to tolerate milk. He has suspected "the story with milk wasn't quite finished."

In his attempt to finish the milk story, Woodford brings together a pile of evidence from more than 100 scientific papers examining population studies and research with both animals and humans. He explains the science underpinning the A1/A2 hypothesis and shows that BCM 7 is associated with milk intolerance and a range of auto-immune diseases including Type 1 diabetes, the diabetes that usually occurs during childhood or young adulthood. In people with Type 1 diabetes, the body destroys its own insulin-producing cells.

There is an important difference between the human beta casein protein and the beta-casein produced by A1 cows. All human beta-casein is more like the A2 type, meaning that human milk releases much less BCM 7 than is released in A1 milk. When New Zealand researchers tested human milk, they found less than 1% of the BCM 7 than was released from the same amount of A1 milk. This means that the narcotic effect from human milk fed to babies is less than one thousandth of that found in A1 milk.

BCM7 has been shown to cause neurological impairment in animals and people, particularly autistic and schizophrenic changes. It also interferes with the immune response. Animals injected with BCM 7 can be provoked into Type 1 diabetes. BCM 7 is pro-inflammatory to blood vessels, and selectively binds to epithelial cells in mucus membranes such as the nose and throat, where it can stimulate excessive mucus secretion.

When BCM 7 is released into the gut, it should be difficult for it to get through the gut wall and into the bloodstream because it is a fairly large molecule. But in people with leaky gut syndrome, it is able to pass easily through the gut wall and enter the bloodstream. Dr. Woodford states that BCM 7 can be detected in urine. According to him there is strong evidence that people with stomach ulcers or untreated celiac disease also absorb BCM 7 in this manner. Babies are likely to absorb it this way too, because their gut walls are able to pass large molecules easily into the blood stream. That is how they are able to absorb their mother's colostrum.

This susceptibility of babies to the effects BCM 7 makes infant milk formula products from A1 cows a very poor choice. Opioids like BCM 7 slow the rate of passage through the digestive tract which explains to Dr. Woodford why babies fed on cows milk formula products rather than human milk are susceptible to constipation and can suffer anal fissures. He suggests it is possible that this slower passage of A1 milk through the digestive system may increase lactose intolerance.

He views early and prolonged exposure to BCM 7 in infant formulas as a significant factor in the rising rates of autism and Asperger's syndrome along with the rest of the range of disease states that can result, and he is pushing for research on the topic. Until this is done, he suggests that mothers breastfeed their babies for as long as possible and insist on breast milk substitutes made with A2 milk.

The reasons for the mutation that produces BCM 7 is unknown, occurring many thousands of years ago. The A1 beta casein gene spread rapidly in many countries in the western world. Speculation has it that the spread of A1 cows resulted from their calves drinking A1 milk and being exposed to the opiate BCM 7, making them more docile than the older breeds. As a result, basically all American dairy cows have mutated beta-casein and are predominantly A1.

It is not known whether BCM 7 is likely to be a problem in cheese, ice-cream, yogurt, or other milk products. The French did not accept the A1 breeds of cows, and the delicious cheeses of France are made with A2 milk. In the U.S. there is only one A2 dairy so far, located in Firth Nebraska.

Absorption of BCM 7 is much less in people with healthy digestive tracts, suggesting that maintaining digestive health should be a priority in anyone drinking milk in countries with predominately A1 cows. One of the best ways to achieve this is with daily use of probiotics.

What can we do about the fact that we have the wrong cows? BCM 7 is not found in goat's or sheep's milk which are A2, so drinking their milk instead of milk from cows is an option. Changing over a dairy herd of cows from A1 to A2 is simple and cheap, and it can be accomplished in less than ten years. It requires only that farmers inseminate their cows, naturally or artificially, with semen from A2A2 bulls. In New Zealand, farmers have already started converting their herds in anticipation of rising consumer demand for A2 milk. An added bonus for them is some recently published research revealing that on average New Zealand A2 cows produce more milk than A1 cows. Dairy farmers in the U.S. may be well advised to begin the switch to A2 as soon as possible to be able to market A2 milk products as consumer demand rises in the face of these findings.

This rosy scenario assumes no politics get in the way of an easy changeover, which could be a big assumption. Since the issue of the link between A1 milk and Type 1 diabetes and heart disease was initially raised in early 2003, the New Zealand Food Standards Authority has demonstrated clearly that in the battle between the interests of the dairy industry and those of public health, the industry always wins. As usual, scientific evidence can be molded and withheld by those with vested interests, and consumer choices can be manipulated by corporate interests.

For more information:

http://www.womenshealthcouncil.org....

http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2009...

http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2008...

Diet, efficient in Autistic chidren

(NaturalNews) Autism is a developmental disorder that appears during the first three years of life. It is classified as a neurological disorder that affects social skills and interaction. The number of children diagnosed with autism has been on the rise. The Autism Society of American reports that autism is growing at a rate of 10-17% per year. One out of every 150 boys will be diagnosed with autism; the number is slightly less for girls. Although there is no cure for autism dietary changes can make a difference in functioning of an autistic individual. Research and anecdotal evidence has shown improvements when these individuals follow a gluten-free and casein-free diet.

Gluten and casein are proteins that are naturally occurring in foods that are a staple of the diets of most people. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, and rye. Casein is found in dairy products. In addition to these whole foods, gluten and casein are often found in many processed foods. Careful reading of ingredient lists is necessary as well as familiarity of the other names that gluten and casein can be "hidden" as, such as natural flavorings, curds, caseinate, spices, lactose, and others. The prevalence of these proteins makes it difficult to avoid them but there are numerous manufacturers that produce products using soy, potato, quinoa, and other substitutes.

Research done at the Autism Research Unit at the University of Sunderland in the U.K. has shown behavioral improvement in autistic children after five months of being on a gluten-free and casein-free diet. The researchers hypothesized that autism is a result of incomplete breakdown and increased absorption of proteins in gluten and casein. This irregularity results in changes to neurological processes which accounts for autism symptoms. Direct observation, parental questionnaires, and teacher questionnaires all showed an improvement in these children in numerous behavior areas.

Changing to a gluten-free and casein-free diet is ideally done with the help of a healthcare provider and nutritionist. Healthcare providers who are familiar with autistic treatments, both conventional and alternative, can be found through the "Defeat Autism Now" (DAN) program. Nutritionists can provide listings of "hidden" gluten and casein as well as advise parents on what food their children can eat including rice, potatoes, buckwheat flour, quinoa, soy, fruits, vegetables, sorghum, tapioca, and teff among others.

There is more research that needs to be done to truly prove the benefits of a gluten-free, casein-free diet but preliminary research and anecdotal evidence seem promising.

Sources:

A Gluten-Free Diet as an Intervention for Autism and Associated Spectrum Disorders: Preliminary Findings, (http://aut.sagepub.com/cgi/content/...)

Autism Society of America, (http://www.autism-society.org/site/...)

Defeat Autism Now!, (http://www.autismwebsite.com/practi...)

The Gluten-Free and Casein-Free Diet, (www.gfcf.com)

Oxygen therapy benefit in autism

Oxygen therapy benefit in autism

Saturday, 14 March 2009
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7940149.stm


A decompression chamber may help children with autism, say researchers.

After 40 hours of hyperbaric treatment autistic children showed significant improvements in social interaction and eye contact compared with controls.

The BMC Pediatrics study could not show if the results were long-lasting but should prompt further investigation of the treatment, the US team said.

One theory is that oxygen can help reduce inflammation and improve flow of oxygen to brain tissue.

Hyperbaric treatment - effectively giving high concentrations of oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure - has been shown to have some benefit in other neurological conditions such as foetal alcohol syndrome and cerebral palsy.

We're certainly not talking about a cure, we're talking about improvements in behaviour, improving certain functions and quality of life

Study leader, Dr Dan Rossignol

Some studies have looked at the treatment in children with autism but they have not compared with a dummy procedure raising questions around a "placebo effect".

In the latest study, carried out at six centres in the US, 62 children aged two to seven with autism were randomly assigned to receive 40 hours of treatment over a month with 24% oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure (1.3 atm) or normal air in a slightly pressurised room (1.03 atm).

Children who received the treatment showed significant improvements in overall functioning, receptive language, social interaction, eye contact, and sensory or cognitive awareness.

In all, 30% in the treatment group were rated by doctors as "very much improved" or "much improved" compared with 8% of those in the control group.

Overall, 80% in the treatment group improved compared with 38% of controls.

Behaviour

Study leader, Dr Dan Rossignol from the International Child Development Resource Centre, in Florida, said the use of hyperbaric therapy for autism has been gaining popularity in the US where parents can buy their own hyperbaric chamber if they have a spare $14-17,000.

He said the findings would be quite controversial and he too was initially very sceptical of the idea but was prompted to do more research after the treatment showed benefits for his two sons who have autism.

"We're certainly not talking about a cure, we're talking about improvements in behaviour, improving certain functions and quality of life.

"The next step is to try to find out which kids do respond, because it's an expensive treatment - it may be that kids with more inflammation respond better.

We also don't know about long-term effects - it could be a transitory effect

Richard Mills, Research Autism

"It would also be nice to know how long the treatment lasts, and the finding needs to be confirmed."

Richard Mills, research director at Research Autism, said this was the first well-designed study looking at the therapy.

"We know this kind of therapy is useful in a number of neurological conditions and that's been well established.

"What we don't know is how useful it is in autism, what we could be seeing is an improvement in other neurological conditions that go alongside autism.

"We also don't know about long-term effects - it could be a transitory effect."

Professor Philip James, an expert in hyperbaric medicine at the University of Dundee, said the pressure used was no more than that used to pressurise an aircraft cabin on the ground.

He added that oxygen was the "controller of inflammation" but also had other effects on regulation of genes and tissue regeneration.

But even if proven, the treatment may not be for everybody.

"When you have any condition, there are people who have too much damage to get better."

"All the oxygen is doing is bringing things towards normal."