Brad's Raw Made Easy: The Fast, Delicious Way to Lose Weight, Optimize Health, and Live Mostly in the Raw

by Brad Gruno

Another serious concern with injecting BGH into cows is that it may cause them to produce more of another hormone called insulin-like growth factor–1, or IGF-1. Animal studies have shown that elevation of this hormone could increase the risk for certain cancers in humans, particularly breast and colon cancer. If you are going to incorporate milk into your diet from time to time, make sure you read the label carefully and purchase only milk that clearly states it is BGH-free. Something else to think about is that dairy might not be such a good food for your body, even though it contains calcium and protein and other trace nutrients. (Bear in mind, too, that unless they are fat-free or reduced fat, milk and cheese contain a lot of fat, along with little fiber, which is why you can unwittingly eat a lot of cheese without it filling you up.) Many people have a degree of lactose intolerance without even realizing it. For them, eating or drinking dairy products can cause unpleasant and uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms, such as bloating, cramping, gas, and diarrhea, ranging in severity. Estimates on how many people are lactose intolerant vary greatly. Among Asians, Africans, Latinos, and Native Americans, who until recently rarely ate dairy products and therefore have less genetic adaptability to it, the figure is very high—up to 90 percent! (Lactose intolerance is different from an allergic reaction to dairy products, which can be