Here is a response to the recent media coverage of toxins in breastmilk. It is by Dr. Harry Hazelwood, he posted it at another board w/ I can send you a link to if you would like to see his entire message.
Editorial commentary from Dr.Harry Hazelwood,MD,MPH,DGUMedicine
To ALL healthcasters and Health writers to whom this message may concern:
Re: Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether [PBDE] compounds present in Human
Breast Milk....as reported in your 23 September 2003 broadcast
Dear ALL Concerned,
The issue of chemicals in breastmilk has been overblown and distorted out of
proportion.
In reality, the human female breast is like a common kitchen sieve--everything goes
into the sieve, but the important thing is NOT what goes into the sieve but rather
what comes out of it.
There are SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES that DETERMINE what comes OUT in the
breastmilk and goes into the mouth and stomach of the nursing infant.
First, is the Molecular Weight of the particular compound [or chemical] in question.
Those compounds of higher molecular weight tend not to pass easily into breastmilk
while those of lower molecular weight can PASS MORE EASILY through the sieve
[ie, through the semi-permeable membranes] and enter into Human milk.
Secondly, Protein binding is KEY. Those chemicals [or compounds] which have a
very high binding affinity for binding to plasma proteins will be so tightly bound that
they will have a Milk/Plamsa ratio which is < 1 [less than 1]. Those compounds
[or, chemicals] which do not have a very high binding affinity for binding to plasma
proteins, will have a Milk/Plamsa ratio >1 [greater than 1] and will readily cross
through semipermeable membranes and be excretred into Human breast milk.
Third, Breast milk is MOSTLY FAT. Therefore, LIPID SOLUBILITY becomes a major
issue. Those cemicals [or, compounds] which are HIGHLY lipid soluble [ie, dissolve
in fat] WILL DEFINITELY PASS into human breast milk, while those that are less
Lipid soluble will DEFINITELY "NOT" PASS through the sieve and enter into
human milk.
Finally, the pH or pKa [ie,the ease at which solid chemicals or compounds IONIZE once
in body fluids ie, "in vivo"] into their chemical ionic constituents--for example NaCL
[common table salt] once in body fluids becomes Na+ [a positively-charged sodium ion] and Cl- [a negatively charged chlorine ion]. The former solid compound [NaCl]
which was a neutrally-balanced molecule with no net charge, no longer exists.
The situation is the same with Polychlorinated Biphenyls [PCB's] and with
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers [PBDE's]. Both of these are largely ionized
molecules "in vivo".
IONIZED PARTICLES ARE "TRAPPED" BY THE PHOSPHOLIPID MEMBRANE
BILAYER and are NOT ABLE to cross through the membrane in order to get
into brteastmilk in appreciable quantities that would be statistically significant.
This process is called "ION TRAPPING".
ONLY THOSE CHEMICALS WHICH REMAIN "UNCHARGED" AND DO NOT READILY
IONIZE INTO THEIR CONSTITUENT SUB-CHEMICAL GROUPINGS WILL APPEAR
IN BREAST MILK...because they are the ONLY CHEMICALS THAT CAN CROSS
THROUGH THE PHOSPHOLIPID MEMBRANE BILAYER WITHOUT BEING
"ION TRAPPED".
HOWEVER, they are lipophilic,and hence are soluble in breastmilk fat. PCB and PBDE
do appear in milk to some extent [ie, some fraction being measured in parts per billion
on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Mass Spectrophotmetry] which detail
every ingredient found in the breastmilk by giving it a spike or peak that can be
visibly seen on a moving piece of graph paper [similar to the paper used in an EKG
procedure].
The NEGLIGIBLE AMOUNT found in Human Milk [parts per billion] is NOT of enough
concern to SCARE breastfeeding mothers into thinking or believing that using infant
formula is a BETTER CHOICE for them to make for their babies.
This is the stigma of a news by-line such as appeared on the 23 September broadcasts
of CBS and other stations as well under the by-line of "BAD BREASTMILK: COULD
YOU BE DOING MORE HARM TO YOUR BABY RATHER THAN GOOD ??? STAY-TUNED
FOR THAT STORY COMING UP."
My additional comment includes the fact that in a TRUE epidemiological study, the
sample-size of the population studied is greater than 20 people. 20 people does not
make a conclusion of causality or even a statistically significant inference or association that can be drawn about breast milk obtained from american mothers and their
swedish mother counterparts.
This is neither an epidemiological retrospective case-control study nor a prospective
study. This is nothing. 20 people is a backyard house-party, not an epidemiological
study that has published results that need to scare breastfeeding mothers into
abandoning breastmilk in favor of using formula that has far greater problems, and is
nowhere near as good.
Breastmilk offers Taurine, a cholesterol bile-salt which facilitates the development of
bile-salt stimulated lipases which can breakdown Triacylglycerol energy -forming
sugars in breast milk into glucose and Free-Fatty-Acids for better energy yield, while
at the same time completely hydrolyzing and breaking down fats so that fats in
human breast milk are better utilized for energy and growth as compared to infant
formula, cow's milk and the milk of other animal species.
Breast milk Taurine also causes the early neuronal development of axons and dendrites
that are responsible for earlier nervous system conduction and signal-relays between
cells and intellectual development in babies who are breastfed as compared to
infants who are fed with most artificial formulas which have cow's milk as their base.
Cholesterol in breast milk actually is higher than that in formula-products and cow's
milk, and is ESSENTIAL in order to cause the early development of myelin sheaths
that surround the infant's developing nerves which are responsible for nervous
system conduction of hot and cold impulses and painful noxious stimuli that can lead
to the infant withdrawing his or her hand, arm, or leg away from fire or other heat
sources such as a hot stove or radiator, or other source of painful stimuli that could
prove to be harmful to the infant.
This is not the case with any formula product, despite the claims of the formula
companies that it may be so.
Breastmilk is a whey-dominant milk where the immunity-conferring immunoglobulin
proteins [particularly secretory IgA] is able to prevent the penetration of most
foreign bacterial,parasitic, and viral antigens from crossing the Lamina Propria of the
small intestine and entering into the gastrointestinal tract where they can cause
major episodes of diarrhea in the infant.
Finally, breastmilk [largely becuase of the whey proteins in milk] is more easily
digested than either formula or cow's milk [or the milk of other animal species]
and has numerous other coinstituent factors such as Lactobacillus bifidus
which colonizes the infant gut with lactobacillus bacteria that competitively inhibits
the colonization of the infant gut with Eschericihia coliform bacteria which is known
to be repsonsible for infant diarrhea, colic,colitis, and in premature infants a cause
of death associated with Necrotizing eneterocolitis [NEC] which is the necrosis and
death of the cells within the infant's small intestine and colon which create a life-
threatening sepsis and septicemia [bacteria in the blood system] if immediate surgical
intervention is not performed.
Breastmilk has in it a number of Trophic [growth] factors responsible for the infant's
growth and development. These include, but are not limited to:
1. Epidermal Growth Factor-- responsible for the early development of the skin
as a "barrier of defence" for the infant's body to protect against invasion through
the skin by foreign microorganisms
2. Nerve Growth Factor--- (already alluded to in the above text) which enables the
breastfed infant to develop an earlier neuronal network of myelinated axons,
dendrites, and conduction relays through myelinated "nodes of Ranvier" signal
relay synapses.
3. Anti-Staphylococcal Factor--which causes the destruction and death of bacterial
Coagulase-positive Gram-positive Staphylococcal Rods
4. Anti-Enterococcal Factor--which causes the death and destruction of bacterial
Gram-positive Enterococcal Rods.
5. Hyaluronic acid present in lysosomal enzymes which fuses with phagocytes
which engulf bacteria, viruses, paasites and foreign substances entering mainly
through the gastrointestinal tract to create a "phagolysosome" and then secretes
hyaluronic acid which causes the acid hydrolysis of the invading antigen or foriegn
particle, thus effectively killing it through the generation of free-radicals in a
superoxide peroxidation reaction
In ALL areas (nutrition,immunology,developmental,preventive,psy chological and
intellectual) BREAST FED is equivalent to BEST-FED.
Sincerely,
Dr Harry Hazelwood, MD,MPH,MSc,DTM&PH,DRCOG(london),DGUMedicine & Clinical
Venereology(*********,UK),FRIPH(london),FACDM(ches hire,UK)
REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE & GENITO-URINARY MEDICINE ASSOCIATES,PC
7435 NW 44th street, Suite 1205
Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA 33319-3955
tel.(954) 747 3686 or (954) 690 0008
fax.(954) 572 4006
E-Mail address(es):
[email protected] [email protected]
or,[email protected]
Sincerely,
Dr.Harry Hazelwood,MD,MPH,MSc,DTM&PH,DRCOG
REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE & GENITO-URINARY MEDICINE ASSOCIATES,PC
"Specialist-CONSULTANTS" in Women's Healthcare,Reproductive-Medicine,Breastfeeding,Family-Planning,Sexually-Transmitted-Infections of the Female Reproductive Tract,HIV/AIDS,Child-SURVIVAL strategies and programmes,Tropical Diseases in Developing Countries,and Communicable Infectious-Diseases
tel. 954-747-3686; 954-690-0008; 561-375-0008
cell/mobile. 305-933-7505
fax. 954-572-4006
--------------------
Dr Harry Hazelwood,MD,MPH,MSc,DRCOG
Specialist/Consultant in
Breastfeeding,& Perinatal and Neonatal Health
"Reproductive Medicine Associates"
7435 NW 44th street,Suite 1205
Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA 33319
(954)747 3686 or (954)690 0008
Editorial commentary from Dr.Harry Hazelwood,MD,MPH,DGUMedicine
To ALL healthcasters and Health writers to whom this message may concern:
Re: Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether [PBDE] compounds present in Human
Breast Milk....as reported in your 23 September 2003 broadcast
Dear ALL Concerned,
The issue of chemicals in breastmilk has been overblown and distorted out of
proportion.
In reality, the human female breast is like a common kitchen sieve--everything goes
into the sieve, but the important thing is NOT what goes into the sieve but rather
what comes out of it.
There are SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES that DETERMINE what comes OUT in the
breastmilk and goes into the mouth and stomach of the nursing infant.
First, is the Molecular Weight of the particular compound [or chemical] in question.
Those compounds of higher molecular weight tend not to pass easily into breastmilk
while those of lower molecular weight can PASS MORE EASILY through the sieve
[ie, through the semi-permeable membranes] and enter into Human milk.
Secondly, Protein binding is KEY. Those chemicals [or compounds] which have a
very high binding affinity for binding to plasma proteins will be so tightly bound that
they will have a Milk/Plamsa ratio which is < 1 [less than 1]. Those compounds
[or, chemicals] which do not have a very high binding affinity for binding to plasma
proteins, will have a Milk/Plamsa ratio >1 [greater than 1] and will readily cross
through semipermeable membranes and be excretred into Human breast milk.
Third, Breast milk is MOSTLY FAT. Therefore, LIPID SOLUBILITY becomes a major
issue. Those cemicals [or, compounds] which are HIGHLY lipid soluble [ie, dissolve
in fat] WILL DEFINITELY PASS into human breast milk, while those that are less
Lipid soluble will DEFINITELY "NOT" PASS through the sieve and enter into
human milk.
Finally, the pH or pKa [ie,the ease at which solid chemicals or compounds IONIZE once
in body fluids ie, "in vivo"] into their chemical ionic constituents--for example NaCL
[common table salt] once in body fluids becomes Na+ [a positively-charged sodium ion] and Cl- [a negatively charged chlorine ion]. The former solid compound [NaCl]
which was a neutrally-balanced molecule with no net charge, no longer exists.
The situation is the same with Polychlorinated Biphenyls [PCB's] and with
Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers [PBDE's]. Both of these are largely ionized
molecules "in vivo".
IONIZED PARTICLES ARE "TRAPPED" BY THE PHOSPHOLIPID MEMBRANE
BILAYER and are NOT ABLE to cross through the membrane in order to get
into brteastmilk in appreciable quantities that would be statistically significant.
This process is called "ION TRAPPING".
ONLY THOSE CHEMICALS WHICH REMAIN "UNCHARGED" AND DO NOT READILY
IONIZE INTO THEIR CONSTITUENT SUB-CHEMICAL GROUPINGS WILL APPEAR
IN BREAST MILK...because they are the ONLY CHEMICALS THAT CAN CROSS
THROUGH THE PHOSPHOLIPID MEMBRANE BILAYER WITHOUT BEING
"ION TRAPPED".
HOWEVER, they are lipophilic,and hence are soluble in breastmilk fat. PCB and PBDE
do appear in milk to some extent [ie, some fraction being measured in parts per billion
on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Mass Spectrophotmetry] which detail
every ingredient found in the breastmilk by giving it a spike or peak that can be
visibly seen on a moving piece of graph paper [similar to the paper used in an EKG
procedure].
The NEGLIGIBLE AMOUNT found in Human Milk [parts per billion] is NOT of enough
concern to SCARE breastfeeding mothers into thinking or believing that using infant
formula is a BETTER CHOICE for them to make for their babies.
This is the stigma of a news by-line such as appeared on the 23 September broadcasts
of CBS and other stations as well under the by-line of "BAD BREASTMILK: COULD
YOU BE DOING MORE HARM TO YOUR BABY RATHER THAN GOOD ??? STAY-TUNED
FOR THAT STORY COMING UP."
My additional comment includes the fact that in a TRUE epidemiological study, the
sample-size of the population studied is greater than 20 people. 20 people does not
make a conclusion of causality or even a statistically significant inference or association that can be drawn about breast milk obtained from american mothers and their
swedish mother counterparts.
This is neither an epidemiological retrospective case-control study nor a prospective
study. This is nothing. 20 people is a backyard house-party, not an epidemiological
study that has published results that need to scare breastfeeding mothers into
abandoning breastmilk in favor of using formula that has far greater problems, and is
nowhere near as good.
Breastmilk offers Taurine, a cholesterol bile-salt which facilitates the development of
bile-salt stimulated lipases which can breakdown Triacylglycerol energy -forming
sugars in breast milk into glucose and Free-Fatty-Acids for better energy yield, while
at the same time completely hydrolyzing and breaking down fats so that fats in
human breast milk are better utilized for energy and growth as compared to infant
formula, cow's milk and the milk of other animal species.
Breast milk Taurine also causes the early neuronal development of axons and dendrites
that are responsible for earlier nervous system conduction and signal-relays between
cells and intellectual development in babies who are breastfed as compared to
infants who are fed with most artificial formulas which have cow's milk as their base.
Cholesterol in breast milk actually is higher than that in formula-products and cow's
milk, and is ESSENTIAL in order to cause the early development of myelin sheaths
that surround the infant's developing nerves which are responsible for nervous
system conduction of hot and cold impulses and painful noxious stimuli that can lead
to the infant withdrawing his or her hand, arm, or leg away from fire or other heat
sources such as a hot stove or radiator, or other source of painful stimuli that could
prove to be harmful to the infant.
This is not the case with any formula product, despite the claims of the formula
companies that it may be so.
Breastmilk is a whey-dominant milk where the immunity-conferring immunoglobulin
proteins [particularly secretory IgA] is able to prevent the penetration of most
foreign bacterial,parasitic, and viral antigens from crossing the Lamina Propria of the
small intestine and entering into the gastrointestinal tract where they can cause
major episodes of diarrhea in the infant.
Finally, breastmilk [largely becuase of the whey proteins in milk] is more easily
digested than either formula or cow's milk [or the milk of other animal species]
and has numerous other coinstituent factors such as Lactobacillus bifidus
which colonizes the infant gut with lactobacillus bacteria that competitively inhibits
the colonization of the infant gut with Eschericihia coliform bacteria which is known
to be repsonsible for infant diarrhea, colic,colitis, and in premature infants a cause
of death associated with Necrotizing eneterocolitis [NEC] which is the necrosis and
death of the cells within the infant's small intestine and colon which create a life-
threatening sepsis and septicemia [bacteria in the blood system] if immediate surgical
intervention is not performed.
Breastmilk has in it a number of Trophic [growth] factors responsible for the infant's
growth and development. These include, but are not limited to:
1. Epidermal Growth Factor-- responsible for the early development of the skin
as a "barrier of defence" for the infant's body to protect against invasion through
the skin by foreign microorganisms
2. Nerve Growth Factor--- (already alluded to in the above text) which enables the
breastfed infant to develop an earlier neuronal network of myelinated axons,
dendrites, and conduction relays through myelinated "nodes of Ranvier" signal
relay synapses.
3. Anti-Staphylococcal Factor--which causes the destruction and death of bacterial
Coagulase-positive Gram-positive Staphylococcal Rods
4. Anti-Enterococcal Factor--which causes the death and destruction of bacterial
Gram-positive Enterococcal Rods.
5. Hyaluronic acid present in lysosomal enzymes which fuses with phagocytes
which engulf bacteria, viruses, paasites and foreign substances entering mainly
through the gastrointestinal tract to create a "phagolysosome" and then secretes
hyaluronic acid which causes the acid hydrolysis of the invading antigen or foriegn
particle, thus effectively killing it through the generation of free-radicals in a
superoxide peroxidation reaction
In ALL areas (nutrition,immunology,developmental,preventive,psy chological and
intellectual) BREAST FED is equivalent to BEST-FED.
Sincerely,
Dr Harry Hazelwood, MD,MPH,MSc,DTM&PH,DRCOG(london),DGUMedicine & Clinical
Venereology(*********,UK),FRIPH(london),FACDM(ches hire,UK)
REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE & GENITO-URINARY MEDICINE ASSOCIATES,PC
7435 NW 44th street, Suite 1205
Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA 33319-3955
tel.(954) 747 3686 or (954) 690 0008
fax.(954) 572 4006
E-Mail address(es):
[email protected] [email protected]
or,[email protected]
Sincerely,
Dr.Harry Hazelwood,MD,MPH,MSc,DTM&PH,DRCOG
REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE & GENITO-URINARY MEDICINE ASSOCIATES,PC
"Specialist-CONSULTANTS" in Women's Healthcare,Reproductive-Medicine,Breastfeeding,Family-Planning,Sexually-Transmitted-Infections of the Female Reproductive Tract,HIV/AIDS,Child-SURVIVAL strategies and programmes,Tropical Diseases in Developing Countries,and Communicable Infectious-Diseases
tel. 954-747-3686; 954-690-0008; 561-375-0008
cell/mobile. 305-933-7505
fax. 954-572-4006
--------------------
Dr Harry Hazelwood,MD,MPH,MSc,DRCOG
Specialist/Consultant in
Breastfeeding,& Perinatal and Neonatal Health
"Reproductive Medicine Associates"
7435 NW 44th street,Suite 1205
Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA 33319
(954)747 3686 or (954)690 0008
