Whole cow's milk should never be given to babies under six months of age, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Many pediatricians recommend waiting until babies are at least a year old before introducing cow's milk.
COW'S MILK FORMULA TRIGGER IN JUVENILE DIABETES?
Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and their
Finnish collaborators have identified a cow's milk protein present
in cow's milk based infant formulas that may be a factor in the
development of juvenile diabetes. The protein identified by the
research team as bovine serum albumin (BSA) present in cow's milk
and cow's milk based formulas induces an immune response which
not only attacks the foreign protein, but also, oddly, the insulin-producing
pancreatic beta cells. Gradually enough beta cells are destroyed
and the child develops insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
Cow's milk proteins have for some time been under suspicion as
a trigger in juvenile diabetes. Research to determine the link
was prompted after observing that West Samoans, who traditionally
exclusively breastfeed their children, do not develop diabetes.
The develop the disease only after emigrating to New Zealand where
they feed their children cow's milk and cow's milk based formulas.
When specially bred mice and rats are fed rations withholding
milk and milk products, the occurrence of diabetes went down by
as much as 80%. Furthermore, by comparing the frequency of diabetes
in breastfed and cow's milk formula fed children, researchers
in Colorado found that children with insulin dependent diabetes
mellitus were less likely to have been breastfed than other children.
And the longer the breastfeeding period, the less likely the child
would become diabetic. Confirmation has also come from population
studies done in Finland where exclusively breastfed children have
lower levels of juvenile diabetes.
INFACT Canada, Summer 1992 issue.