Got organic milk?

Better Nutrition, Feb, 2005

Researchers at Scotland's Aberdeen University reported last December that organic milk contains high levels of omega-3, an essential fatty acid that nutritionists have said may help improve brain development in infants and reduce the risk of heart attacks and certain cancers in adults. The study concluded that, due to the higher proportion of clover forage in the diets of organically raised cows, organic milk contained about 71 percent more omega-3s than conventional milk.

A month before, another study showed--for the first time ever that a milk protein known as lactoferrin appears to cause rapid bone growth. New Zealand researchers have found that the compound not only inhibits bone breakdown but also boosts bone growth four times faster than normal. Such phenomenal bone growth may one day lead to the local application of lactoferrin to repair broken bones, suggested the study team. It may be able to correct osteoporosis.

A lot of work has been done seeking ways to prevent bone loss, but little was known--until now--about how to build new bone. Lactoferrin is found in both human and cows' milk, and is particularly concentrated in colostrum--the substance newborns receive at birth before breast milk is fully established.

Lactoferrin is already sold as a nutritional supplement. It has been linked to a number of other health benefits, including use as an antiviral, antimicrobial and anticancer agent.

Osteoporosis currently affects 200 million people worldwide. The New Zealand team reported its findings last November at the Global Dairy Summit conference in Melbourne, Australia.