These problems relate to the proteins, sugar, fat, and contaminants in dairy products, and the inadequacy of whole cow s milk for infant nutrition. To get the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of 15 mg of iron, an infant would have to drink more than 31 quarts of milk per day. Milk can also cause blood loss from the intestinal tract, which, over time, reduces the body s iron stores. Pasteurization does not eliminate the problem. Researchers from the University of Iowa recently wrote in the Journal of Pediatrics that in a large proportion of infants, the feeding of cow milk causes a substantial increase of hemoglobin loss.
Some infants are exquisitely sensitive to cow milk and can lose large quantities of blood.
Although concerns are greatest for children in the first year of life, there are also health concerns related to milk use among older children and some problems associated with cow s milk formulas. Several reports link insulin-dependent diabetes to a specific protein in dairy products. This form of diabetes usually begins in childhood. It is a leading cause of blindness and contributes to heart disease, kidney damage, and amputations due to poor circulation. In the new report, researchers from Canada and Finland found high levels of antibodies to a specific portion of a cow s milk protein, called bovine serum albumin, in 100 percent of the 142 diabetic children they studied at the time the disease was diagnosed.