On the subject of whether toxin in breastmilk would be at the same level as
in cows millk substitutes there are a couple of reason why levels might be
higher in breastmilk.

I can't find the refs (I have somewhere) at the moment but it is my
understanding that the tricky toxins that are mostly referred to are the
fat soluble ones. These toxins are fat soluble and increase in
concentration in the fat of people. They stay there in the fat until they
are mobilised by weight loss or lactation.

Thus, since women are having babies later and since cows have a shorter
productive life span there is more time for the toxins to build up in women
than in cows.

In addition, dairy cows lactate pretty much constantly and thus are
constatntly mobilising fat (you can often pick a good dairy cow by the
gaunt look it has) and so toxins are diluted in their milk whereas women
(in the west) are also having few children and so they don't have the
continuous flushing of the system that dairy cows have (a study that looks
at the level of toxins with first and subsequent breastfeeding
relationships might confirm this).

Also, since these toxins are fat soluble they are carried up the food chain
easily in fat. Cows are ruminants and thus don't get much fat. Whereas
people eat meat as well as vegetables and are therefore at a greater risk
of concentrating the toxins up the food chain. Whether, mothers who are
long term vegetarians have lower concs of toxins in their breastmilk is
another question I don't think has been answered.

All that said I absolutely cringe when another study loking at toxins in
breastmilk is given wide publicity. It's just a small factor to consider
and doesn't mean babies shouldn't be given breastmilk. I actually think the
concept of shedding fat before pregnancy that Heather alluded to is
potentially part of the solution.
Now where are those studies that consider how high levels of oestrogen in
soy formula influence development.

Karleen Gribble
B.Rur.Sc. PhD
Australia

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