From Alternatives Newsletter
By Dr. David Williams 1991
England — Some data just released by the Medical Research Council (MRC)
should create some interesting controversy among medical circles during
the next several months. Peter Elwood, director of the Epidemiology Unit
at Landough Hospital in Penarth, South Glamorgan, dropped a bombshell.
His ongoing life-style study of 5000 men produced some startling and
very unpopular findings. He discovered that men who drank the most
full-fat milk and ate butter (rather than margarine) had a lower risk of
suffering from heart attacks! (New Scientist 1991; 129(1759):17)
Needless to say, everyone in the medical community and the officials
at the MRC are upset. (I'm sure margarine producers aren't thrilled
about the news either.) Since Elwood made his findings public prior to
having them published in a peer-reviewed journal, the MRC has instructed
him to make no further statements to the press.
We've learned, however, that Elwood's study collected data on 5,000
British men between the ages of 45 and 59 for a period of 10 years. Of
those that drank at least a pint of whole milk a day, only 1% suffered
heart attacks! Some researchers are already claiming the difference is
due to a healthier life-style on the part of the milk and butter
consumers. Others, however, think that milk and butter may have some yet
undiscovered benefits.
In 1929, Dr. J.E. Crewe with the Mayo Foundation reported "uniformly
excellent" success using raw milk in treatment programs for high blood
pressure, heart failure, diabetes, kidney disease, prostate problems and
tuberculosis. He later stated that the only problem with using raw milk
to treat these ailments was that it was too simple. As such, it didn't
appeal to the medical profession. Only raw milk seemed to be of
benefit. Pasteurized forms seemed to make most conditions worse.
It will be interesting to see how the results from this study are
handled. Admittedly, his interpretation of the data may be flawed, but
if his findings are simply swept under the rug and never published we
can suspect another instance where the "golden rule" went into effect.
(The "golden rule" simply says that whoever has the most gold makes the
rules.) |
