The horror of homogenized milk

Virtually all pasteurized milk is also homogenized. Homogenization is a mechanical process that forces the milk through thin nozzles to break down and disperse the fat globules into very small particles. This stops cream rising to the top.

Technically, this is what happens: when milk is passed through a fine filter at pressures equal to 4,000 pounds per square inch, the fat globules (liposomes) are made smaller (micronized) by a factor of 10 times or more. These fat molecules become evenly dispersed within the liquid milk, so that just one pint of milk can contain over one-trillion tiny protective fat "vehicles."

Homogenization can cause serious health problems for three reasons:

1. Increase in toxins. The tiny homogenized fat globules that get through to the bloodstream act as ?vehicles? for harmful toxins, hormones, and proteins (lead, mercury, dioxins, IGF-1, etc) that may be present in the milk and food we consume.

Normally, our body gets protected from the harmful elements of consumption: our digestive system and liver act to filter out harmful things in the food we eat. But when dairy milk is consumed, the tiny homogenized fat globules ?absorb' these harmful elements and carry them into the body, bypassing the liver.Once there, the toxins get carried to vital organs and other parts of the body where they get 'offloaded' when the micronized fat eventually dissolves, causing disease and illness. This is how harmful bovine growth hormones (IGF-1) survive digestion and gets into all parts of the body.

This homogenization process, referred to as micronization of fat, is so effective that some medications are encapsulated into micronized fat as a way of delivering them into the body orally instead of using injections. Although the amount of toxins and heavy metals we consume may be very small, they accumulate in the body over a period of time. As heavy metals such as cadmium, mercury and lead are highly toxic, only small amounts are needed for serious illness to develop. Dairy milk provides more heavy metals than just about any other kind of food because of their presence in the milk, combined with a highly effective delivery system.

2. Increase in harmful body fat. Most of the homogenized fat globules that get through to the bloodstream do not get used as energy or as useful nutrition. Instead, they cause illness or get stored as surplus body fat. This occurs for four reasons:

2.1 The homogenized fat globules are made of long chain saturated fatty acids (14, 16 and 18 chain carbon atoms). The 14 and 16 long chain fatty acids are known to increase the level of harmful (oxidized) cholesterol in the bloodstream, leading to arterial disease.

2.2 Saturated animal fat consumed in the diet cannot be used by the body unless it is first converted into non-saturated fat. Since the body cannot easily convert 14 and 16 chain fatty acids into non-saturated fat, they get dumped by the bloodstream, i.e. stored as surplus body fat.

2.3 The 14 and 16 chain homogenized fatty acids are more harmful than saturated fats (virtually on a par with trans-fatty acids). This is so because, like trans-fatty acids, they enter the body and become lodged within the cell membranes of various organs where they cause harm. They can do this because of their small size and because their molecular composition prevents them from being broken down and used by the body.

2.4 Although the 14 and 16 chain homogenized fatty acids are technically classified as saturated fat they behave more like trans-fatty acids inside the body. In pasteurized whole milk, most of the saturated fat is made up of 14 and 16 chain fatty acids (about 67%). This means that about two thirds of the saturated fat from dairy milk is not only fattening, but harmful on a par with trans-fatty acids.

3. Increase in allergy. During homogenization there is a tremendous increase in the surface area of the fat globules (lots of small fat globules have a bigger total surface area than fewer bigger fat globules). This greater surface area makes the fat globules incorporate a much greater portion of casein and whey proteins. It is thought that this accounts for the increased allergenicity of homogenized pasteurized milk.

Milk is a natural hormonal delivery system designed for growing calves. When homogenization is added to the equation, you get a super-powerful delivery system into all parts of the body, bypassing normal digestive processes. As a consequence, harmful steroids and hormones (not to mention toxins) are delivered to delicate organs, the brain, and virtually all other parts of the body.

As mentioned, almost all pasteurized milk also undergoes homogenization. This includes the various skim, low-fat, non-fat, and long-life varieties (including organic dairy milk). As a result, millions of people all over the world are causing specific and life-long harm to their bodies as a result of consuming dairy milk. This subject, and the supporting evidence, is fully explored in the book 'The Milk Imperative'.

To get more information please go to http://www.milkimperative.com/.