Questions & Answers ------------------- 1. IGF-1 in humans and in cows is identical in amino acid sequence. The point is that the amino acid sequence of rBGH is different. Monsanto did not tell anyone. The rBGH that is used now is different than what was tested. See Protein-Sci. 1994 Jul: 3(7): 1089-97. 2. IGF-1 is not orally active and is destroyed by the digestive system. This is incorrect. Robert Cohen's article gives several references showing that IGF-1 does make it through the digestive system intact. Casein has been found to exert a protective effect. There was a recent debate in The Lancet ending with evidence showing IGF-1 making through the digestive system intact. See the following issues of The Lancet: Volume 344, page 197, July 16, 1994 Volume 344, page 815, September 17, 1994 Volume 344, page 1445, November 19, 1994 Also see the Journal of the Royal Society (Medicine), Volume 85, page 736-739. rBGH is banned in Europe because of these and other serious issued raised. 3. The concentration of IGF-1 is on average higher in human milk than in cow' milk. Therefore it must be safe. If you read Robert Cohen's article, you will see that the level of free IGF-I in the human body is inversly proportional to the age. Infants get IGF-I from breast milk because they are supposed to get it -- they need higher levels presumably for increased cellular growth. Autopsy studies have shown that adults often have tumors in them (e.g., breast cancer) that are very small an not detected. The immune system is very powerful and helps to keep cancer cells and tumors that are more commonly produced in adults in check. Mr. Cohen has cited numerous studies that show IGF-I significantly increases the speed of cancer growth -- something like a self-fueling fire since cancer cells also produce IGF-I. Adding increasing amounts of free IGF-I to adults may increase the cancer rate. It definately warrents further investigation. Breast milk is *not* homogenized. Homogenization decreases the fat molecules by 10 times allowing for easier absorption. IGF-I is absorbed along with the fat molecule. This is largely based on the work of Oster and Ross and confirmed by others (despite challenges from the dairy industry). The FDA recently approved a liposomal delivery system for hormones that protects the hormones in a way similar to milk fat. Therefore, you are getting increased amounts of IGF-I in adults from BGH treated dairy cows and the homogenization increases absorption significantly. 4. The concentration of IGF-1 drops 10X over the lactation period of a cow; concentration is highest at the beginning of lactation, and drops significantly by the end of the second month--which is when BGH injections would begin. The FDA likes to say that there is a 10x change in IGF-I, but the longer term studies prove otherwise. Margeret Miller's study cited in the Juskevich and Guyer paper measure the changes through *10* lactation periods and found an average difference of only 74% (certainly not 1000%). See Table 7 in that paper. 5. The concentration of IGF-1 increases in milk from BGH-treated cows, compared to the concentration of IGF-1 in milk from untreated cows AT THE SAME STAGE OF LACTATION; but the concentration of IGF-1 in milk from treated cows three months into their lactation is not significantly higher than milk from untreated cows at the beginning of their lactation. The problem is that few people drink milk directly from a cow that has a *74%* change in IGF-I over lactation periods. Milk is put into tanks or trucks and mixed together with milk from thousands of cows at various stages of lactation. Therefore, the IGF-1 level stays relatively constant. Monsanto measured those levels in *100* truckloads of milk. This was not a tiny experiment of a few cows. They determined that the level of IGF-1 was 4,320 ng/liter and this figure was presented in their pre-approval data given to the FDA. The same application stated that IGF-1 in milk from BST-treated cows averaged 35,500 ng/liter. Eli Lilly submitted an application for the use of their version of BGH and stated that the level of IGF-1 in milk would probably not exceed 50,000 ng/liter. If it got anywhere near that figure it would be quite a difference! The post-approval studies, unlike Monsanto's own figures often come from a small number of cows and different assays. I have to say that it's about time that the falsehood of "no change in milk from BGH-treated cows" was admitted. Summary ------- I personally do not know what the level of danger is from drinking BGH-treated milk over a lifetime. I do know that 1) the change in the milk appears to be significant, 2) that the "science" was incredibly sloppy, boardering on fraudulent in some cases, 3) that no human studies were conducted on BGH-treated milk and inadequate (in my opinion) animals studies were conducted, 4) that I have gotten word of large increases in herd problems from BGH treatment, 5) that there was a revolving door between the FDA and industry that causes some pretty strange changes to take place (some of which has yet to be reported), and 6) that none of this was necessary because there is a more than enough milk already.