I don't know if this woman is a speaker or not, but I'd love to have her at a conference. The info she has is incredible....here's a bit more. Jan > . 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 > > > *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html