Vegan health from a VEGAN moakes

The following section summarises selected news items and other articles regarding the health-related benefits of a vegan diet and/or the risks associated with eating meat.

Milk destroys health benefits of tea: study 

Extract from news article:

Bad news for Britons: adding milk to tea ruins the health benefits of the drink, according to a Germany study.

Tea has complex compounds called polyphenols, which are believed to help the arteries to relax or dilate, thus enabling a smoother flow of blood. Scientists at the Charite Hospital in Berlin tested black Darjeeling tea on 16 healthy women volunteers aged over 50, placing an ultrasound probe on their forearm to measure arterial response.

When the women drank half a litre (0.9 of a pint) of tea, their arteries relaxed significantly more than when they drank hot water or tea with milk - tea in which skimmed milk, comprising 10 percent of the drink's volume, was added.

The study, which appears online in the European Heart Journal, points the finger of blame at three casein proteins in the milk. These are thought to adhere to a kind of polyphenols known as catechins, preventing them from carrying out their health-promoting work.

This could explain why Britain, a nation passionate about tea-drinking, but where almost everybody adds milk to their cup, fails to make headway against cardiovascular disease, said researcher Verena Stangl.

The study did not cover green tea, which is widely drunk in East Asia - without milk.

AFP, Tuesday January 9 2007.

Cow's milk contains up to 400 million pus cells per litre

Recent scientific research reveals the following - and other - facts about the potential downsides of humans drinking milk from cows:

Milk is not essential for strong bones - in fact it can cause calcium loss, which can contribute to, rather than prevent, osteoporosis.

Due to swelling of a cow's udder, its milk can contain up to 400 million pus cells per litre, which remain in the end product for you to drink.

Cow's milk contains numerous hormones plus 11 different growth factors, including  IGF-1, which is designed to accelerate calf growth. Unless you're a calf, this isn't good news - research shows that IGF-1 can raise the risk of numerous cancers.

Diseases and illnesses in children believed to be linked to cow's milk consumption include allergies, acne, asthma, colic, eczema, ear infections, anaemia and type 1 and 2 diabetes. Other diseases linked by researchers to dairy include migraines, kidney stones, arthritis, Crohn's disease, MS and obesity.

- > "It is well nigh time for the evidence on the adverse health effects of dairy to be honestly presented to the public. One of the biggest myths is that we need dairy for strong bones and teeth" - Professor Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry, Cornell University, USA.

- > "Cow's milk is perfect food for a calf, but that doesn't mean it is good for human babies - or adults! If you want to improve your health by making just one change to your diet, I recommend you eliminate all dairy" - Professor Jane Plant, CBE.

Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation, 2006.

Cadbury loses £20m in dairy disaster - and launches dark chocolate Flake

Cadbury's chocolate sales fell by 14% following the recall of nine products in connection with a salmonella scare, which was caused by contamination from a leaking pipe at one of its plants. After taking into account an insurance payout, Cadbury Schweppes estimates that direct costs relating to the matter will total £20m.

On a related note, Cadbury has launched Flake Dark, a dark chocolate version of its iconic Flake bar ("the crumbliest, flakiest milk chocolate in the world"). The move was intended to take advantage of the - healthier - dark chocolate category. Dark chocolate (in its purest form) doesn't contain any dairy products and is believed to convey health benefits - but only when consumed in moderation!  Sadly, the dark chocolate Flake isn't vegan, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

Marketing Week 13 July 2006, Telegraph.co.uk 2 August 2006

Lactofree milk - don't fall for it

The UK's largest cream and milk supplier has launched lactose-free cow's milk (less than 0.05%), aimed at the lactose intolerant market. But this milk is NOT cruelty-free - cows still have to tolerate suffering to produce it. And the calves to which they are forced to give birth in order to produce milk still suffer horrendous fates. Have you ever wondered where all the "boy cows" go - along with many of the "girl cows"? Milk production isn't all about cows grazing "happily" in the fields.

2-15% of white UK residents, 95% of Asians, 75% of Afro-Caribbeans, 50% of Mediterraneans and 10% of Northern Europeans are understood to suffer from lactose intolerance.  It seems clear that drinking cow's milk is neither cruelty-free nor something that sits naturally with our biological make-up.

Rather than drink cow's milk with the lactose extracted, why not try soya, rice or oat milk, all of which are 100% cruelty AND lactose-free?

Moakes.com, January 2006.

"Anti-cancer compound found in beans, nuts, cereals"

Dr Marco Falasca of University College London (UCL) is quoted as saying that "our study suggests the importance of a diet enriched in foods such as beans, nuts and cereals, which could help prevent cancer".

The findings, reported in the journal Cancer Research, focused on a substance called inositol pentakisphosphate, a natural compound that is non-toxic even at high concentrations. This compound reportedly inhibits an enzyme (phosphoinositde 3-kinase) that promotes tumour growth.

According to the report, the compound is found in beans, nuts, cereals, lentils and peas.

Further research by UCL's Sackler Institute will explore whether the compound can be developed into an anti-cancer agent for human use.

Reuters / Yahoo!, 15 September 2005

Note

These articles are only here because a) they happened to catch my eye and b) I had time to write them up (ie I was avoiding doing something else!).

For MUCH more information about the pros (and cons, if any) of veganism, see the links on the resources page.