tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post9052502046994154086..comments2024-03-27T09:08:50.883-07:00Comments on Bad Mom, Good Mom: Free Range Kids Book Reviewbadmomgoodmomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-46684384820768557102009-07-22T12:45:39.366-07:002009-07-22T12:45:39.366-07:00Cloud, until you mentioned it, I didn't realiz...Cloud, until you mentioned it, I didn't realize that hormones can be macromolecules like proteins. I am more familiar with the smaller molecules that we ingest, such as estrogen and progesterone.<br /><br />I looked it up <br />http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=3783<br />and <br />http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hormone .<br /><br />I have a BS in Chemistry and never realized (before you pointed it out) that *some* hormones are proteins, and thus unlikely to survive digestion. <br /><br />No wonder the public is so confused about bovine growth hormone. If we can produce more milk with less cows, without harming the cows or the environment, wouldn't that be a good thing? That is, we could feed the same amount of people with less energy, space and damage to the environment.<br /><br />OTOH, if the cows get mastitis from taking it, then I would vote nay. I remember suffering from mastitis while breastfeeding, and I wouldn't inflict it upon anyone else.badmomgoodmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-78711845907333126492009-07-21T11:18:44.687-07:002009-07-21T11:18:44.687-07:00The reason I'd be surprised if bovine growth h...The reason I'd be surprised if bovine growth hormone in milk has anything to do with early puberty is that it is a protein, so even if it is passes into the cow's milk, it is almost certainly degraded into amino acids in our stomachs. Almost all proteins and peptides are- this is why protein and peptide drugs have to be injected.<br /><br />If you have a subscription to Science, you can read the summary of why the FDA approved the use of bovine growth hormone in cows: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/249/4971/875.pdf<br /><br />Quoting from the article:<br />"The evaluation of the human food safety of bGH was based on several factors: bGH is biologically inactive in humans, rbGH is orally inactive, and rbGH and bGH are biologically indistinguishable."<br /><br />There was some concern about the fact that growth hormone treatment elevates levels of a protein called insulin-like growth factor (IGF) in milk. However, that protein also does not seem to be active when ingested. Also, the levels found in the milk of treated cows seemed to be within the range found in human breast milk.<br /><br />Now, it may be that we should be concerned about the use of bovine growth hormone from an animal welfare/use of antibiotics standpoint, because I have seen some data indicating that cows getting growth hormone have a higher incidence of mastitis. But that's a separate issue.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-30377930651208131152009-07-16T18:29:53.515-07:002009-07-16T18:29:53.515-07:00Marianne, how timely and interesting. Our governat...Marianne, how timely and interesting. Our governator has been accused of packing panels (e.g. the coastal commission) with pro-business people. I wonder about the doctors he picked.<br /><br />I read that one reason teen pregnancies are down is that sperm counts are down for teens. I don't recall where I read that.<br /><br />Cloud, I don't know the culprit for younger puberty in girls and lower sperm counts in boys, but I do feel uneasy that we have embarked on a huge biological experiment on ourselves. I would like to see more research and more reasoned debate.<br /><br />My lymphocytes are unclear on their job description, even on my best days. I do suspect that many chemicals that are safe for others are not safe for genetically susceptible people like myself. I witnessed a huge variability in people's tolerances for VOCs in organic chemistry lab. That is why I switched to computational chemistry. I figured that out even before the gene test that confirmed my suspicions.badmomgoodmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-1455135032663361232009-07-16T14:15:56.903-07:002009-07-16T14:15:56.903-07:00http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/87/i29/8729news3.html...http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/87/i29/8729news3.html<br /><br />From today's C&E NewsMariannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04934039811097682227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-86972647604033049242009-07-16T11:40:50.932-07:002009-07-16T11:40:50.932-07:00Funny. I didn't realize that. I'm reading ...Funny. I didn't realize that. I'm reading the one by Paul Roberts.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-28047391728324826022009-07-16T11:23:51.497-07:002009-07-16T11:23:51.497-07:00There are two books named The End of Food. Which ...There are two books named The End of Food. Which one are you reading?badmomgoodmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-797825865670322022009-07-16T10:54:56.503-07:002009-07-16T10:54:56.503-07:00Interesting about the microwaving. We do most of o...Interesting about the microwaving. We do most of ours in the "disposable" tubs, which never had BPA (they aren't hard enough plastic) or on the plate we're going to eat off of. We switched to the disposable tubs mostly because they stack nicely in the freezer.<br /><br />On the puberty thing- I am not aware of a controlled study. But yeah, my money is on obesity. And also just on general better nutrition- I don't think we actually know when humans are "supposed" to hit puberty. I think it has been getting steadily earlier as we get better fed. But I don't have a reference for that, either.<br /><br />I will be really, really surprised if bovine growth hormone turns out to have anything to do with it. <br /><br />The parent part of me understands why it is so hard to have rational public discussions about these things. But it drives that scientist part of me nuts.<br /><br />I'm reading "The End of Food" now. Finally, I may have found the food book I wanted. Lots of research cited, seems even handed and not out to "prove" a specific agenda... So far, I'm impressed. (I WILL get around to setting up a Goodreads account soon, I promise...)Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-44803807690166626142009-07-16T09:57:43.724-07:002009-07-16T09:57:43.724-07:00How much early puberty is related to obesity in ge...How much early puberty is related to obesity in general? Has anyone done a controlled study?badmomgoodmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-899998864323779572009-07-16T09:56:43.208-07:002009-07-16T09:56:43.208-07:00Cloud, those are very good points.
The way I wa...Cloud, those are very good points. <br /><br />The way I was using BPA was definitely not safe. My water bottle in my car gets much hotter than the 100-105F that is deemed absolutely safe. And I was microwaving in Tupperware Rock n Saves, which were supposed to go from freezer to microwave. I still use them, but not w/ hot foods. I also try to avoid sticking melamine in the microwave.<br /><br />I eat lunch sometimes w/ a couple with PhDs in environmental engineering and chemistry. I asked what they do. They use Pyrex or Corningware. At the very least, they said to transfer to glass or porcelain for microwaving.badmomgoodmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11569728075698885020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15350975.post-70364650390378048162009-07-16T09:48:14.622-07:002009-07-16T09:48:14.622-07:00An interesting post.
The government has deep eno...An interesting post. <br /><br />The government has deep enough pockets to do a big, well-designed study, if they were so inclined. The problem is that by the time they are so inclined, public opinion will be so entrenched that it won't matter what the studies say. Just look at what happened with the vaccine-autism thing. There are now really good, large studies showing no link, and still a sizeable percentage of parents just won't believe them.<br /><br />Another scientist mom and I did some reading on BPA back when our babies were still taking bottles at day care. We both came to the conclusion that given the way we were using the bottles, the risk was low. Of course, neither of us is an endocrinologist or toxicologist. We are both trained in biochemistry.<br /><br />To me, the biggest unresolved question is how much BPA actually leaches from the container under normal use. The studies we could find were either inconclusive or so amazingly bad that we couldn't take their findings seriously. In this case, the bad studies were funded by environmental working groups who wanted BPA removed from use. These "policy groups" can be as distorting in their use of science as industry groups. <br /><br />The other big question to me is: will the replacement be any better? What if it is worse? All the baby bottle manufacturers have replaced BPA now, because the big retailers said they wouldn't carry anything with BPA in it. In 10 years, what problems will we be reading that the replacement chemicals cause? I don't even know what was used as a replacement. I think the biggest problem is that we don't require any testing of chemicals used in containers like this. But then, I'm not sure how we'd design a system that would support such testing and not simultaneously make all our bottles cost $50.<br /><br />On a related note, you might find this survey of toxicologists interesting:<br />http://stats.org/stories/2009/are_chemicals_killing_us.html<br /><br />They put BPA at a medium to low risk (see table 2). <br /><br />Another really interesting (to me) part of the survey is what the toxicologists thought of various sources of information about potential risks (see table 3). Wikipedia does surprisingly well.<br /><br />I have this survey on my list of things to blog about, but haven't gotten around to it.<br /><br />And finally, if studies do find that BPA is the likely cause of the earlier puberty we're seeing in girls, will people stop freaking out about the use of bovine growth hormone in dairy cows? We currently can't have a sane discussion about the costs and benefits of that practice- any attempt gets bogged down in the accusations about early puberty, which have never made any sense to me.Cloudhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09317847285050447789noreply@blogger.com