Ilya wrote:

In any case, if antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals ADDED by
humans is a concern, then eat organic dairies produced without those.

Dear Ilya,

BST and IGF-I are both destroyed in the processing of milk-based infant
formula.  If we weren't so damned allergic to so many things in milk,
I'd suggest that we drink just formula!

Normal levels of hormones in milk are a problem!  When cows are injected
with genetically engineered bovine proteins the levels of these hormones
in milk increase by about 78 percent.

There are appx. 2500 nanograms of IGF-1 in a 12 ounce glass of normal
wholesome milk.  In genetically engineered milk the level is appx. 4400
nanograms.

I recently visited RONEYBROOK farms in NY state with my family.  The
owners of this dairy farm have under 100 Holstein cows and they pride
themselves in being environmentally conscious and rejecting genetically
engineered hormones.

They do, however, use antibiotics.  Any dairy farmer not using
antibiotics would soon find himself out of business, his milk being
rejected for extremely high counts of somatic cell growth (pus and
bacteria).

The IGF-1 in milk works more effectively than naturally prioduced IGF-I
that the body makes because of the many factors in milk that protect it.

IGF-I naturally produced by our kidneys, lungs, liver, in our saliva,
etc., is very quickly bound to other protein receptors.

IGF-I in milk is protected by two mechanisms...the buffering effect
which milk exerts on gastric pH and casein.  A group of British
scientists (Mepham, Playford, Millstone) have suggested that casein
protects IGF-1 from digestion in the stomach, upper GI tract and blood
protyolysis.

Robert Cohen

Bon apetit!

Robert