My comments about this toothpaste went over some people's heads and I am
regreting that I made the comments.  Lactoferrin is being used for various
products, toothpaste is just one of the products that has lactoferrin in it.


I am not promoting using this toothpaste for breastfed children.  My comment
was directed at the "irony" of denying our breastfed children the breast
(essentially doubting breastfeedings protective benefits) while using a
product that has the same component as breastmilk (lactoferrin).

By the way this lactoferrin is human lactoferrin and therefore
biotechnologists will say that it should not present any allergic problems.
There are 3 ways to make human lactoferrin:  the human breast, transgenics,
and cell/yeast culture.  This particular human lactoferrin is made from
transgenic cows (the human gene for lactoferrin is spliced into a cow embryo
and when that cow reaches adulthood human lactoferrin is extracted from its
milk).  Cow's make little or no lactoferrin (Lonnerdal).  The mammary gland
is considered a bioreactor and will make various proteins that will be used
as drugs, supplements, etc.  Transgenic herds exist--read the NY Times (July
2002) and the op-ed article by Nicholas Kristoff--"Interview with a
Humanoid."  He went to Infigen and drank cloned milk and "he didn't grow 3
heads."  This technology exists and is commercialized.  A Washington Post
article states that cloned milk can be on the grocery shelves as early as
next year.  Milk lactoferrin has already gotten FDA approval.  The FDA
rejected the word bovine lactoferrin during the GRAS process and replaced it
with the word, milk lactoferrin.  I suspect because cows don't make enough
lactoferrin naturally to ever commercialize it.  Thus bovine lactoferrin is
misleading.

This should be a wake-up call for breastfeeding advocates.  The promotion of
products that are based on what human milk components can do ultimately and
sadly means that breastfeeding (the competition) will be increasingly be made
questionable in the media.  The use of imitation human milk components in
drugs, supplements, toothpastes :), means that not only is our competion the
infant formula industry but also the drug, supplement, and toothpaste
industry.

The toothpaste is just one small example.  The spreading of doubt about
breastfeeding enhances the lactoferrin industry.  The lactoferrin industry
sells its products to hiv/aids patients saying that lactoferrin protects and
treat this problem.  Yet hiv postitive mothers are told that it is too
dangerous to breastfeed.  Likewise, we hear that breastfeeding does not
protect against dental caries/gum disease.  But we have a toothpaste that
protects against dental caries/gum disease made with lactoferrin.  Which is
the truth?  If lactoferrin is that protective, then maybe we need to revisit
some of these health issues where mothers are discouraged from breastfeeding.
 Someone is making a whole heck of alot of money based on what human milk can
do health-wise and in the meantime women are met with an on-slaught of
reasons to not breastfeed.  This should be extremely troubling to the
breastfeeding community.   Valerie W. McClain, IBCLC



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