The thing about pregnant cows…
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- January
- 21
When Zyla turned 1, I started giving her organic whole milk rather than the conventional variety. Not everything she eats is organic, but I decided I would fork over the couple of extra bucks for these organic goods because it’s the one daily constant in her life. With organic milk, I didn’t have to worry about cows treated with bovine growth hormones or antibiotics and whether what they were consuming contained pesticides. In other words, stuff that can raise the risk of getting cancer. Of course, there is research that does and does not support these health claims, but why wonder?
After a recent conversation with my sister though, I’m starting to wonder again. She, who happens to be a surgeon specializing in breast cancers, told me organic doesn’t mean the farmer isn’t getting the milk from pregnant cows. These cows have elevated levels of estrogen and progesterone that are particularly high in the late stages of pregnancy.
Scientists have long been concerned about the link between cancer and hormones, mostly estrogen. Breast cancer, in particular, has been associated with the consumption of cheese and milk. Here’s an interesting article on the topic. One solution, the article suggests, is drinking skim milk. Hormones seem to live in milk fat. But for a toddler, not quite 2, I think she still may need the nutrients provided in whole milk.
The article says more longterm studies need to be conducted on the health effects drinking milk has on children. In the meantime, I’m wondering if there is a way to find out if certain milks may come from non-pregnant cows?
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 at 3:44 pm by Marcela Rojas.
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That is really interesting! Sure makes you wonder!
That is very interesting. We get our milk from a local dairy, and I’m going to ask them. Can you buy local milk where you are? It takes a bit of digging to find a dairy farm, but it is well worth it. We can even go and visit the cows!
Hi Marianne,
No, unfortunately we don’t have a local dairy near us. But I’m willing to travel. We live in Putnam County. Where do you get your milk? Let me know if you find out from your local dairy about the pregnant cow issue. Thanks for your input.