Iron Depletion and Anemia Caused by Dairy

 I met a family in Toronto this past weekend whose
 toddler was severely anemic. I was told that this little
 boy drinks one-half gallon of milk each day, and his
 favorite food is cheese. The little boy was in a stroller.
 He was obese. Mucus was flowing from his nose. I promised
 to send the mother research linking cow's milk consumption
 to iron loss and low hemoglobin counts.

 Last evening I found an interesting study that was published
 in the October, 2002 issue of American Family Physician
 (66,7,:1217-240). The author, L.A. Kazal, M.D. wrote:

 "...iron deficiency anemia in infants and toddlers is
 associated with long-lasting diminished mental, motor, and
 behavioral functioning. Additionally, the prevalence of iron
 deficiency anemia in one- to three-year-old children seems to
 be increasing."

 Dr. Kazal's recommendation:

 "...intervention should focus on the primary prevention of
 iron deficiency. In the first year of life, measures to prevent
 iron deficiency include completely avoiding cow's milk."
 In the second year of life, iron deficiency can be prevented
 by use of a diversified diet that is rich in sources of iron
 and vitamin C, limiting cow's milk consumption..."

 The most common cause of anemia is iron deficiency. Red
 blood cells have a life of about four months, and lack of
 iron leads to an inability to manufacture new cells.
 Hundreds of ailments can result from too-little iron, and
 milk consumption has been shown to cause intestinal
 bleeding, which ultimately results in lowering one's
 hemoglobin count. The result: weakness, depression,
 irritability. The cure: Notmilk.

 The May, 1995 issue of the Townsend Medical Letter reported
 that cow's milk causes hemoglobin loss.

 In 1990, the Journal of Pediatrics (Vol. 116) reported:

 "Cow's milk can cause blood loss from the intestinal tract,
 which over time, reduces the body's iron stores. Blood loss
 may be a reaction to cow's milk proteins."

 Eight years earlier, Pediatrics (1982; 89 ) reported:

 "Babies who are fed whole cow's milk during the second six
 months of life may experience a 30% increase in intestinal
 blood loss and a significant loss of iron in their stools."

 THE CURES

 Here's the good news, as reported in the October, 1999 issue
 of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery:

 "Cow's milk-induced intestinal bleeding is a well-recognized
 cause of rectal bleeding in infancy. In all cases, bleeding
 resolved completely after instituting a cow's milk-free
 diet."

 Here's a better cure:

 Soymilk contains eleven times the amount of iron as does
 cow's milk. A 100-gram portion (3.5 ounces) of cow's milk
 contains 0.05 mg. of iron. The equivalent portion of soymilk
 contains 0.58 mg. of iron.

 Robert Cohen
 http://www.notmilk.com

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