weird science
No, it's not sci-fi. Milk from cloned cows is coming to a grocery store near you-unless the government intervenes early in the new year. Infigen, a biotech company that's producing milk from a herd of 21 cloned cows (17 from the same original "model") has commissioned two studies to see if there are differences between its cloned milk and that from "regular" cows. "We owe it to our consumers to show these products are normal," says company president Michael Bishop. While Infigen is careful to distinguish between cloning and genetic engineering, consumer watchdogs aren't so sure there's much difference.
"We don't know what the genetic ramifications would be," says Joe Mendelson, legal director of the Center for Food Safety. "It's theoretically possible. . .that there could be, through an unexpected pathway, some kind of toxin produced," adds Michael Hansen, PhD, a biologist with Consumers Union.
Research finds that only 2 to 5 percent of cloning attempts succeed-and cloned animals often develop serious health problems. "It's not uncommon for cloned animals to have problems with their immune system," explains Charles Crabb, dean of agriculture at California State University in Chico.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seems hesitant, as well. But while the FDA plans to issue guidelines early in 2003, it's not clear whether cloned milk. or meat will be labeled as such. Without such labeling, consumers buying non organic milk and meat will have no way to know if these products come from cloned or naturally conceived animals.
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rBGH AND CANCER
Americans who drink conventionally processed milk may be increasing their risk for cancer, finds a growing body of research. These studies have linked the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) with higher levels of insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1), associated with an increased risk for breast, colon, lung, and prostate cancer.
The most recent evidence-a large, long-term study of more than 1,000 nurses concluded that the more conventional milk these women drank, the greater their levels of IGF-1. Combined with other research, this study "provides very strong circumstantial evidence that increased levels of IGF-1 in milk from rBGH-treated cows could have a potential negative impact on human health," says Michael Hansen, PhD, at the Consumers Union.
Unlike Canada and much of Europe, the US still permits rBGH in commercial milk production. "This research is yet another reason to choose organic dairy products," says Barbara Haumann at the Organic Trade Association, which spearheaded the new national labels that began appearing in October.
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