Babies in China are growing breasts. You read that correctly … infants are sporting boobs.
The cause? According to the Chinese Daily newspaper, overwhelming evidence points to the milk formula they are being fed. Medical tests performed on the infants indicated that the children, between the ages of 4 months and 15 months, had the same level of estrogen as grown women. That’s just insanity!
The company that produces the formula claims that there were no man-made chemicals added. So how did this happen? It’s being suggested that hormones were added to the cows used in the production do the formula. Apparently there are currently no laws in China prohibiting the use of hormones in livestock.
Many US products are imported from China. Is it possible for the same formula to make its way over here? Yep, and sadly, consumers have no way of knowing if the formula they are giving their babies comes from China — as if I need one more reason to eat organically. Talk about frightening!
Unfortunately, according to John Robbins of the Huffington Post,
Along with China, the U.S. is today one of the few countries in the world that still allows bovine growth hormones to be injected into dairy cows. Though banned in Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe, the use of these hormones in U.S. dairy is not only legal, it’s routine in all 50 states.
The U.S. dairy industry assures us that this is not a problem. But there is a very real problem, and its name is Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1). Monsanto’s own studies, as well as those of Eli Lilly & Co., have found a 10-fold increase in IGF-1 levels in the milk of cows who have been injected with bovine growth hormone (BGH).
Why is that a problem? A report by the European Commission’s authoritative international 16-member scientific committee not only confirmed that excessive levels of IGF-1 are always found in the milk of cows injected with BGH. It also concluded that excess levels of IGF-1 pose serious risks of breast, colon and prostate cancer.
Robbins goes on to recommend, if possible, that all mothers breastfeed their babies. Secondly, buy organic dairy products or ones produced without BGH. He also notes that Starbucks and Ben and Jerry’s use BGH-free dairy, and I have to say, it’s rather refreshing to see large companies protecting their consumers. Now if only the FDA would ban BGH entirely. Then we might be making some progress!
