Homogenization & Xanthine Oxidase

[Sailor Con Queso]

Milk fat is normally a nutritious food. However, when it is homogenized, it becomes a type of slow poison for the circulatory system.

Milk fat contains an enzyme called xanthine oxidase (XO). When milk is not homogenized, both the fat and the XO are digested into smaller molecules. But when milk is homogenized the tiny particles of XO go through the walls of the intestine and into the bloodstream.
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The following is an extract from the journal Atherosclerosis (1989; 77:251-6):

Homogenized milk is one of the major causes of heart disease in the U.S.

Homogenized cow's milk transforms healthy butter fat into microscopic spheres of fat containing xanthine oxidase (XO) which is one of the most powerful digestive enzymes there is. The spheres are small enough to pass intact right through the stomach and intestines walls without first being digested. Thus this extremely powerful protein knife, XO, floats throughout the body in the blood and lymph systems. When the XO breaks free from its fat envelope, it attacks the inner wall of whatever vessel it is in. This creates a wound. The wound triggers the arrival of "patching plaster" to seal off that wound. The "patching plaster" is cholesterol. Hardening of the arteries, heart disease, chest pain, and heart attack is the result.

Dr. R. Lincoln Kesler, chief attending physician at St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, says: “The first thing I do with the heart patients is take them off homogenized milk.”

"The damage caused by XO is a long-term process. The XO builds up in the body. The first 10 to 15 years, when most children drink a lot of milk - that's when the real damage is done." (Jay Milton Hoffman Ph.D., The Missing Link, p.165)

[FarmerJd]

But when milk is homogenized the tiny particles of XO go through the walls of the intestine and into the bloodstream.

This was one of the reasons I started milking. Even our family doc had to agree.

[Cheese Head]

Sailor, interesting article, while I drink minimal milk (tea & coffee & little when eat cereal) I do eat other milk products (yogurt & cheese ) all of which are homogenized.

This article means I should 1) stop and 2) if possible (not easily) switch to non-homogenized milk products, correct?

[mtncheesemaker]

Wow! Thanks for the info.
Does it follow that the fat in cheese made with homo'd milk is similarly denatured?
Pam

[Alex]

I am totally    . We have no choice, the commercialy sold milk and it's products, are all homogenized.
At least for my cheese makeing I use raw milk

[Sailor Con Queso]

Heating often breaks down enzymes, so some milk products are OK, but many are not. The XO enzyme can carry over to milk products - cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, etc.

Several studies have suggested that the reason Americans have more heart problems is because of our highly processed milk and milk products. XO is also being implicated in several types of cancer. Look at life expectancy around the world and you will find one common factor among long living populations - unhomogenized milk.

Homogenization is also the primary culprit in home cheese making problems. Raw is ideal, but the unhomogenized stuff is available. You may have to look a little harder to find it but it's worth it. Educate your local grocers.

[padams]

That is really scary, because I have one boy who drinks 2-3 gallons of milk a week on his own!  Wow...

[linuxboy]

Eh, I'm a huge supporter of raw milk, but I want to throw out a bit of caution in this case. Studies have not linked xanthine oxidase as the agent responsible for breaking down plasmologen (for example, Clifford et al in 1983), and the pathway for cholesterol patching of plasmologen-degraded vessels is not so clear cut as to point to xanthine oxidase as the causal factor. What I'm trying to say is that yes, homogenized milk may indeed cause or contribute to various types of disease, but the science isn't there to support even a weak correlation with regard to xanthine oxidase specifically.

There's also a challenge in that not all homogenized milk is the same in the sense that producers use different pressures and handling practices.

I do think highly processed foods in general contribute to health issues, and there's been some evidence of that.

[Sailor Con Queso]

LB - Agreed. The science is not complete and does not support de facto cause and effect. However there is lots of anecdotal evidence implicating XO in various health problems. Researchers have been able to show XO accumulation in tissues outside of the digestive tract. And since it's an enzyme capable of breaking down proteins, it can be inferred that tissue damage is certainly possible. And you're right, the plasmologen relationship hasn't been "proven". But isn't that like "proving" global warming. There is not irrefutable evidence for that either.

So what do we do? Just wait and see what happens (in both cases)? The FDA has pulled products off the market with less evidence, so why allow homogenization if there is any chance of health problems? With cigarettes, they made them use warning labels saying cigarettes "MAY" cause cancer, even though the research was inconclusive (according to the tobacco companies). I'm not suggesting that we label milk, but parents like padams have a right to know that there might be longterm problems starting at a very young age.

... enough from the soap box.

padams - Best solution is to buy non-homogenized milk. There is also evidence that Folic Acid and antioxidants can inhibit the action of XO.

[linuxboy]

I think this is one of those cases where a homeopathic method is more fruitful than an allopathic one. That is, inquiry made using a strict double blind study may yield inconclusive results, yet anecdotal evidence and personal testimony demonstrates more conclusive results, but only for a specific group. In research, the idea to not have selection bias for statistical methods to be valid, yet homeopathy requires selection bias for effective treatment.

So scientifically, the best statement that I could make is a vague, XO may or may not contribute to heart disease, and that some factors, like a diet high in fat and genetic factors are closely linked to heart disease, while other factors, like exercise, are closely linked with helping to prevent heart disease.

Personally, I think everyone should drink raw milk produced locally and sustainably. Like from goats and mini-cows in your back yard .