Post by sarasa on Apr 8, 2006 18:32:07 GMT -5
I posted this in the General section but decided to post here too in case anyone was considering using or is using bovine pituitary...
Let me preface what I'm gonna say with stating that I am only a medical student, and although I do have Masters degree in Public Health-- I am not a doctor yet by any means.
We all know that BSE (mad cow disease) can create a human form of the disease, vCJD, if infected meat is eaten. However, it has been known for some time now that it can be transferred to humans via biological contaminants, also.
For example, people with vCJD who have had neurosurgery on their pituitary have passed the disease on to subsequent patients via contaminated surgical equipment. It's not that the equipment wasn't sterilized-- it's just that prions, the infectious protein that causes the disease, cannot be sterilized because they don't contain any DNA. So all the techniques modern science currently uses to sterilize materials do not work on prions; they are amazingly resistant.
Anything that contains bovine central nervous system parts has a higher risk of transmitting the disease because that is where the infection dwells. You can look at the American Medical Association's report on BSE here www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/print/13578.html#SRM where they list bovine pituitary as medium risk. Bovine ovary, on the other hand, since it isn't part of the central nervous system, is classified as low risk. Highest risk are brain and spinal cord.
Of course the risk only exists in a country that has known BSE cases-- so since the USA hasn't officially detected any BSE, theoretically, you could ingest bovine spinal cord at will if you so desired... but then again the USA hasn't done much testing either, so the choice is yours. (edit- actually BSE was found in a US-bred cow just last month) If you must have bovine pituitary, I would suggest buying from Japan, since they screen every single cow that is put into the food chain. Otherwise, either get bovine ovary, or hold off on bovine in general! By the way, the UK has banned all bovine glandulars for this very reason.
My 2 cents on using bovine ovary for NBE is let's first look at what it is. It is mashed up cow ovaries. It will therefore contain connective tissue, blood, steroid hormone precursors, and yes progesterone and estradiol. In unknown quantities. That is the problem I have with it. Certain levels of these hormones are known to have beneficial effects, for example for those wanting to use birth control and for those wanting to combat premenopausal symptoms or wanting to slow osteoporosis in old age. But extremely high levels could have untoward effects, for example some tumors grow in the presence of these hormones... and there are likely to be effects that just unknown b/c clinical trials haven't been done (nor will they be done) with such high concentrations.
Additional info on vCJD-- If you read up more of this on your own, keep in mind that vCJD is different from the sporadic CJD which has been present in 2% of the human population long before vCJD occurred. Since CJD is sporadic, it is extremely unlikely to have clusters of disease (numerous cases is one location, or numerous cases that are linked to eachother). However, there has been a documented recent cluster of CJD in the midwest, all linked to having eaten at a certain restaurant. Unfortunately CJD is not classified by the CDC as a reportable disease, so these clusters were actually found by accident, by an observant and determined civilian. Also, CJD and vCJD are only definitively identified and distinguished at autopsy, and specimens must be sent to a specific CDC lab that specializes in CJD. It is possible we may never know if vCJD cases are being erroneously or purposefully classified as CJD, to appease the very powerful and lucrative beef industry. Beef is big money. And beef related products are in everything- gelatin for example (which is from the spinal cord by the way) is in pill capsules, sweets, ice cream, etc.
Look what happened to Oprah when she mentioned BSE on public television, she just barely managed to win the lawsuit and since then no one dares to voice any of these serious issues in the media. Too bad this puts public health on the back burner. Personally, I would only eat beef in Europe or Japan.
Let me preface what I'm gonna say with stating that I am only a medical student, and although I do have Masters degree in Public Health-- I am not a doctor yet by any means.
We all know that BSE (mad cow disease) can create a human form of the disease, vCJD, if infected meat is eaten. However, it has been known for some time now that it can be transferred to humans via biological contaminants, also.
For example, people with vCJD who have had neurosurgery on their pituitary have passed the disease on to subsequent patients via contaminated surgical equipment. It's not that the equipment wasn't sterilized-- it's just that prions, the infectious protein that causes the disease, cannot be sterilized because they don't contain any DNA. So all the techniques modern science currently uses to sterilize materials do not work on prions; they are amazingly resistant.
Anything that contains bovine central nervous system parts has a higher risk of transmitting the disease because that is where the infection dwells. You can look at the American Medical Association's report on BSE here www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/print/13578.html#SRM where they list bovine pituitary as medium risk. Bovine ovary, on the other hand, since it isn't part of the central nervous system, is classified as low risk. Highest risk are brain and spinal cord.
Of course the risk only exists in a country that has known BSE cases-- so since the USA hasn't officially detected any BSE, theoretically, you could ingest bovine spinal cord at will if you so desired... but then again the USA hasn't done much testing either, so the choice is yours. (edit- actually BSE was found in a US-bred cow just last month) If you must have bovine pituitary, I would suggest buying from Japan, since they screen every single cow that is put into the food chain. Otherwise, either get bovine ovary, or hold off on bovine in general! By the way, the UK has banned all bovine glandulars for this very reason.
My 2 cents on using bovine ovary for NBE is let's first look at what it is. It is mashed up cow ovaries. It will therefore contain connective tissue, blood, steroid hormone precursors, and yes progesterone and estradiol. In unknown quantities. That is the problem I have with it. Certain levels of these hormones are known to have beneficial effects, for example for those wanting to use birth control and for those wanting to combat premenopausal symptoms or wanting to slow osteoporosis in old age. But extremely high levels could have untoward effects, for example some tumors grow in the presence of these hormones... and there are likely to be effects that just unknown b/c clinical trials haven't been done (nor will they be done) with such high concentrations.
Additional info on vCJD-- If you read up more of this on your own, keep in mind that vCJD is different from the sporadic CJD which has been present in 2% of the human population long before vCJD occurred. Since CJD is sporadic, it is extremely unlikely to have clusters of disease (numerous cases is one location, or numerous cases that are linked to eachother). However, there has been a documented recent cluster of CJD in the midwest, all linked to having eaten at a certain restaurant. Unfortunately CJD is not classified by the CDC as a reportable disease, so these clusters were actually found by accident, by an observant and determined civilian. Also, CJD and vCJD are only definitively identified and distinguished at autopsy, and specimens must be sent to a specific CDC lab that specializes in CJD. It is possible we may never know if vCJD cases are being erroneously or purposefully classified as CJD, to appease the very powerful and lucrative beef industry. Beef is big money. And beef related products are in everything- gelatin for example (which is from the spinal cord by the way) is in pill capsules, sweets, ice cream, etc.
Look what happened to Oprah when she mentioned BSE on public television, she just barely managed to win the lawsuit and since then no one dares to voice any of these serious issues in the media. Too bad this puts public health on the back burner. Personally, I would only eat beef in Europe or Japan.
