low good fat milk

गाय के दूध मे वसा पर विज्ञान

Subodh Kumar ( Email-subodh1934@gmail.com)

1. Fats in Cow's Milk
विश्व में वैज्ञानिक आधार पर अब यह सिद्ध हो चुका है कि हरे चारे पर गोचरों मे स्वपोषित गाय का दूध सब रोगों के लिए ओषधि का काम करता है. आयुर्वेद के अनुसार भी यही सत्य भी है.
भारतीय पम्परा मे वेदों मे गौपालन मे स्वच्छ वातावरण , स्वच्छ पेय जल और स्वच्छ हरे चरे पर गाय के पोषण के बारे मे विस्तृत उपदेश मिलता है.
पाश्चात्य देशों में साधारण लौकिक ज्ञान के अनुसार दूध मे पाए जाने वाले सभी वसा तत्व वांछनीय माने जाते थे. इसी ज्ञान से प्रेरित हो कर विश्व डेरी उद्योग की नीतियो का सम्पादन हुवा. डेरी विशेषज्ञो की सलह पर भारत वर्ष मे भी दूध के दाम वसा के अनुपात के आधार पर व्यापारिक लाभ को ध्यान मे रख कर निर्धारित करे गये.
गाय का दूध अमृत कब था
परन्तु जब भारतीय परम्परा मे गाय के दूध को जब अमृत बताया गया था उस समय आजकल जैसी गाय को खुन्टे पर बांध कर खल बिनोला दाना खिलाने की डेरी उद्योग जैसी व्यवस्था नही होती थी. न ही रसायनिक उर्वरकों , विषैले कीटनाशकों से प्रभावित अस्वच्छ पेय जल और आहर से प्रभावित वातावरण में गोपालन होता था. (इन्ही बातों को ध्यान में रख कर आज जैविक कृषि का पुनरुत्थान किया जा रहा है.)
दूध मे वसा का विषय
वैदिक काल मे गाय को दो प्रजातियों मे देखा जाता था. एक वे गाय जिन के दूध मे कम वसा होती थी और दूसरे वे गाय जिन के दूध मे वसा का अनुपात अधिक होता था. अधिक वसा वाले दूध को आहार मे प्रयोग करने मे सावधानी बरतने को कहा जाता था.
वसा का मुख्य प्रयोजन तो यज्ञ मे हवि बताया जाता था . आहार मे अलग से वसा का सेवन अच्छा नही माना जाता था.
यह दृष्टिकोण पूरी तरह से आधुनिक आयुर्विज्ञान से मेल खाता है.
प्राचीन भारत वर्ष के पाणिनी कालीन विवरण से ज्ञात होता है कि उस समय मे साधारण गाय के दूध मे 1% से कम वसा होनी बताई जाती है.
इस पर ऋग्वेद के मंत्र “ तयोरिद् घृतवत् पयो विप्रा रिहन्ति धीतिभि: ! गन्धर्वस्य ध्रुवे पदे!! ऋ1/22/14” से भी यही उपदेश मिलता है कि घृत और गोदुग्ध के घृत को बुद्धिमान बहुत सोच समझ के सेवन मे लाते हैं, यह जानकारी गन्धर्वों (विद्वत जनों) में सब को थी.
कौटिल्य के अर्थ शास्त्र के अनुसार गौ के दुग्ध मे 0.596% वसा प्रामाणिक थी.
क्षीर द्रोणे गवां घृतप्रस्थ: | पञ्च्भागाधिको महिषीणाम्‌| द्विभागाधिकोSजावीनाम्‌ मन्थो वा सर्वेषां प्रमाणं,भूमितृणोदकविशेषाद्धि क्षीघृतवृद्धिर्भवति| कौटिल्यर्थ शास्त्र 45.29
One Dron of Cow milk provides one Prasth of butter, Buffalo milk has 5times higher, and goat milk has two times higher fat. These are the results obtained after churning of the milk curds. Butter/Fat content depends upon Soil, Green fodder and Water quality and availability .
(One Dron =12.788 Kg, one Prasth=768 grams.) Thus fat content of Cow milk in Kautilyas time is specified as 0.596%

डेरी दूध मे वसा
वेदों मे गाय को द्युभक्ता कहा गया है. गाय अपने स्वभाव से घुमक्कड होती है.डेरी उद्योग मे गाय को बांध कर रखने की व्यवस्था से श्रमविहीन गाय के दूध मे वही अवगुण उत्पन्न हो जाते हैं जैसे श्रमविहीन जीवन शैली से रहने वाले मनुष्यों मे रोग आ जाते हैं.
वैज्ञानिक अनुसन्धान से यह पाया गया है कि गाय के दूध मे दो मुख्य श्रेणी के वसा होते हैं. असंतृप्त और संतृप्त Unsaturated and Saturated . मानव स्वास्थ्य के लिए असंतृप्त वसा का महत्व आधुनिक विज्ञान के सामने 1982 मे नोबल पुरुस्कार के बाद आया है.
1990 के दशक तक तो असंतृप्त वसा अम्ल Unsaturated fatty acids का प्रभाव केवल शारीरिक स्वास्थ्य ही समझा जाता था. 2000 के दशक से ओमेगा3 का प्रभाव मनुष्य के मस्तिष्क की चेतना शक्ति, मानसिक तनाव इत्यादि से भी समझा जाने लगा है.
आज मनुष्य के शारीरिक और मानसिक स्वास्थ्य के लिए असंतृप्त वसा का आहार मे इतना मह्त्व माना जा रहा है कि ओमेगा3 की केप्स्यूल दवा के रूप मे सब रोगों के लिए रामबाण बता कर अरबों का व्यापार किया जा रहा है. यह सब समाज मे जन साधारण को अज्ञान के अंधकार मे रख कर ही किया जा पा रहा है.
वास्तव मे सारा सत्य तो गोमाता के अमृत तुल्य दूध ही मे छुपा है.
आधुनिक वैज्ञानिक अनुसन्धान के अनुसार जिसा ओमेगा 3 को इतना मह्त्वपूर्ण बताया जा रहा है वह संसार मे केवल हरे चारे पर पोषित गाय के दूध या ठण्डे जल की मछ्लियो मे ही पाया जाता है.खल बिनोला दाना इत्यादि खिलाने से जो दूध मे वसा तत्व बढता है वह संतृप्त Saturated fatतत्व बढता है जो मनव शरीर मे उच्च रक्त चाप इत्यादि से हृदय रोग बढाता है. दूध के वसा मे असंतृप्त वसा EFA Essential Fatty Acids Omega3 ,Omega6 ओमेगा3 और ओमेगा6 कुल वसा का 25% से 30% तक ही होते हैं. इन को ईएफए इसेंशल फेटी एसिड आवश्यक वसा कहा जाता है, क्योंकि यही वह वसा तत्व हैं जो मानव शरीर के लिए अत्यंत आवश्यक और महत्व्पूर्ण हैं.
हम ने भारत सरकार से अनुरोध किया है कि यदि दूध मे वसा के आधार पर दाम निर्धारित किये जाते हैं तो कुल वसा के आधार पर नही, असंतृप्त वसा के आधार पर किये जाने चाहियें. कुल वसा के आधार पर तो समाज मे हृदय रोग बढाने वाले दूध का प्रसार हो रहा है. गाय को जितना अधिक हरा चारा मिलेगा उस के दूध मे उतने ही गुणकारी असंतृप्त वसा EFA की मात्रा अधिक होगी समाज उतना ही स्वस्थ और निरोग होगा.
सारा डेरी दूध केवल अधिक वसा की मात्रा के आधार पर दूध को बेच कर समाज मे भैंस के दूध को बढावा दे कर समाज के स्वास्थ्य विषय की अनदेखी और अहित कर के गाय के साथ अन्याय भी कर रहा है. कृत्रिम दूध, होमोजेनाइज़ेशन, पास्च्युरैज़ेशन अलग अपने मे हानिकारक मुद्दे हैं.
आज योरपीय संघ का डेरी उद्योग इस विषय पर लिपजीन ‘Lipgene’ अनुसंधान अभियान से यह पता लगाने पर कि गाय के दूध मे प्राकृतिक रूप से कैसे अच्छे वसा की मात्रा बढाई जा सकती है, योरप की 21 अनुसंधान शालाओं मे एक ही विषय पर खोज कर रहा है. हमारी भरतीय परम्परा मे तो जैसा ऊपर लिखा है पाणिनी काल मे हमारी गाय के दूध मे प्रकृतिक रूप से केवल अच्छे वसा ही पाए जाते थे.
2007 में न्यूज़ीलेंड में मर्ज नाम की एक गौ के दुग्ध में 1% से कम वसा प्राप्त हो गया है. उस प्रजाति को बढ़ा कर एक उत्तम दुग्ध की आधिनिक गौ के व्यापारी करण की ओर आदुनिक डेर्ई उद्योग प्रयास रत है.
ग़ोदुग्ध के मह्त्वपूर्ण वसा तत्व
आधुनिक विज्ञान यह भी बताता है कि आहार मे ओमेगा3 से डी एच ए DHA ( Decosa hexaenoic acid) तत्व बनता है इसी तत्व से मानव मस्तिष्क और नेत्र शक्ति बनते हैं. ई एफ ए मे दो तत्व ओमेग3 और ओमेगा 6 बताए जाते हैं दोनो तत्व जब संतुलित अनुपात मे पोषण द्वारा प्राप्त होते हैं तभी मानव मस्तिष्क कुशाग्र और संतुलित होता है.
सम्पूर्ण विश्व मे आज भी भारतीयों की बुद्धिमत्ता का लोहा माना जता है.
क्या कभी पूजनीय रामदेव जी के प्रवचन सुनते हुए यह ध्यान मे आता है कि स्वामी जी कितनी सरलता से अभूत पूर्व विलक्षण कुशाग्र बुद्धि, विस्मयकारी स्मरणशक्ति द्वारा हिंदी, संस्कृत और अंग्रेज़ी मे वेदो.शास्त्रों, आयुर्वेद और आधुनिक पाश्चात्य आयुर्विज्ञान के सिद्धांतो से उद्धरित उपदेश देते हैं ? यह उसी प्रचीन वैदिक परम्परा का द्योतक है जिस के चलते सम्पूर्ण वेदो को कण्ठस्थ कर के भारतीय ज्ञान सम्पदा को सुरक्षित रखा जाता था. था.आज भी ऐसे साधारण ग्रामीण जनमानस से सम्पर्क होता है जिन्हे सम्पूर्ण रामचरित मानस पर इतना अधिकार है लि तुलसी की कोइ भी चोपाइ कभी भी सहज मे कह देते हैं.आज भी कितने ही विद्वान मिलते हैं जिन का वैदिक वाङ्मय, गीता, उपनिषद इत्यादि पर इतना अधिकार है कि कहीं पर भी संस्कृत उक्तियो का उद्धरण यथा स्थान प्रस्तुत कर देते हैं.
हम इस विलक्षण भारतीय मस्तिष्क सामर्थ्य शक्ति को कभी ध्यान नही देते. अंग्रेज़ी मे कहा जाता है कि ‘वी टेक इट फोर ग्रांटेड’
ऐसी कुशाग्र बुद्धि का परिचय साधारण जनमानस मे विश्व की किसी भी सभ्यता मे नही मिलता है. यह एक शोध का विषय है कि यह विस्मय कारी अनुभव भारत वर्ष ही मे क्यों देखने को मिलता है. यह सहस्रो वर्षों से गोमाता के अमृत तुल्य दूध पर पोषित भरतीय मस्तिष्क के लिए उपलब्ध ओमेग3 का ही प्रसाद है.
आधुनिक विज्ञान यह भी बताता है कि मानव मस्तिष्क का 70% भाग फास्फोरस युक्त वसा तत्व जिन्हे विज्ञान की भाषा मे डीएचए ओर ईपीए DHA ( Docoso Hexa enoic Acid) & EPA ( Ecosa pentaenoic acid) कहा जाता है.
आधुनिक विज्ञान के अनुसार ये डीएचए और ईपीए आहार से प्राप्त ओमेगा 3 से बनते हैं. यही तो वह वसा तत्व है जो गाय के दूध को अमृत तुल्य बनाते है. यहां यह भी बताने मे संकोच नही करना चाहिये कि यद्यपि पाश्चात्य आयुर्विज्ञान ब्रह्मचर्य का अभी तक कोई महत्व नही मानता परन्तु यह भी सब वैज्ञानिक जानते हैं कि मानव वीर्य भी उन्ही दो तत्वों से बना होता है जिन से मानव मस्तिष्क .
योग शिक्षा मे ऊर्ध्वरेता का यही महत्व है कि मानव रेतस मस्तिष्क की ओर ऊपर को प्रेरित होना चहिये. यही भत्सरिका, बाह्य , कपालभाती अनुलोम विलोम के प्राणयाम द्वारा ऊर्ध्व्रेता बन कर मानव हित का विषय है.
यही उपदेश प्रसिद्ध वेद मंत्र तच्च्क्षुर्देवहितं शुक्रमुच्चरत् जिस मे सौ वर्ष तक मानव शरीर की सब इंद्रियों को स्वस्थ होने की प्रार्थना है उस मे वेद का उपदेश है शुक्रमुच्चरत् शुक्र को ऊर्ध्वरेता बन कर मस्तिष्क मे धारण करने से ही हमारी सब इंद्रियां आजीवन स्वस्थ रह्ती हैं. यही वह भारतीय ज्ञान है जहां अभी पाश्चत्य आयुर्विज्ञान को पहुंचना है.
प्रोढों को स्मरण शक्ति बढाने के लिए पाश्चात्य आयुर्विज्ञान Phosphatidylserine ओषधि का प्रयोग करते हैं. इस दवा को बूचडखानों से गाय के मस्तिष्क से निकाला जाता है.
यहां यह भी समझ मे आना चाहिए कि सारा विश्व गोहत्या बंद करने के लिए क्यो तैयार नही होता. क्रितृम विटामिन डी और उपरुल्लिखित ओषधि जैसी कितनी ही अत्यधिक आर्थिक महत्व की वस्तुएं बूचड्खानो से उपलब्ध होती हैं. यही नही सारा विश्व का वेक्सीन अनुसंधान भी गौ माता के ही शरीर से प्राप्त अवयवों पर निर्भर रहता है.

Doctors Join Fight Against Livestock Antibiotics

Doctors Join Fight Against Livestock Antibiotics
By RP Siegel | August 19th, 2011 1 Comment

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It’s been said that what you don’t know can’t hurt you, but I have a feeling, just a hunch, that the fellow who coined that phrase, is probably not around anymore.
Today’s post is about a subject that not a lot of people want to talk about, which is part of a bigger question that people don’t even want to think about; that being, where does our food come from?
The answer to the larger question, in the largest measure, is factory farms. There are many exceptions of course, but even when those are all combined, they only constitute a small portion of today’s dietary pie
Not only do we not want to know what goes on in factory farms, but the people who own and operate those farms don’t want us to know either. In fact, in Florida, it is now illegal to film the operation of a factory farm. I don’t think this is because the cows and chickens are camera shy. More likely, if people could see how their food is actually being produced, they would likely try very hard to obtain their food another way. Which brings us to today’s story.

A number of doctors are beginning to express concerns about the growing incidence of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria in humans. Much of this proliferation is believed to be the result of the widespread use of antibiotics in livestock as a preventative measure in response to unsanitary conditions and overcrowding. According to theWorldwatch Institute’s 2006 State of the world report, 74 percent of the world’s poultry, 43 percent of beef, and 68 percent of eggs are now produced this way.
Because antibiotics kill off entire populations of bacteria, any organisms that manage to survive will find themselves with little to no competition for nutrients and will therefore flourish. The resulting antibiotic-resistant strains have become highly problematic. In fact, one group of pathogens known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is now responsible for more deaths each year than AIDS.
The recent outbreak of salmonella in ground turkey that killed one person and sent over a hundred to the hospital, led to the second largest recall of its kind. Thirty-six million pounds of ground meat were destroyed.
The part of the antibiotic resistance story that is associated with food production “is largely hidden for docs,” said Oakland area cardiologist Jeff Ritterman, one of many doctors who have begun to get involved in this issue. Ritterman claims he was shocked when he first heard that 80 percent of the nation’s antibiotics are given to livestock.
While industry leaders and their PR representatives deny any connection between the use of livestock antibiotics and the outbreaks of resistant strains, a growing number of doctors are taking exception. It’s a statistical near-certainty that given this many opportunities to proliferate, drug-resistant strains will inevitably emerge.
Lucia Sayre, co-executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility(PSR), says “Nobody believes anyone more than their docs and nurses,” Sayre said, citing a recent Gallup Poll that found 70 percent of people trusted their doctor’s advice without a second opinion. “We’re trying to max their voice.” He believes that the power and respect of the medical community can leverage a movement to change the food industry.
“A doctor may be able to help individuals in their office, but changes in policy can lift the health of an entire population,”Ritterman said. “We need to really advance American medicine to the policy stage. Doctors are trained to see the world through a health lens. Politicians, businessmen and economists are not.”
Hospitals such as Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt., which serves an estimated 2 million meals a year to patients, visitors and employees have begun phasing out foods produced with non-therapeutic antibiotics. Today, about 90 percent of their beef meets this goal.
“I kept seeing more and more cases of antibiotic resistance at the hospital. It doesn’t make sense to keep doing it the way we’re doing it, not to mention that cases of resistance are costly,” said Diane Imrie, director of nutrition services at Fletcher Allen. A study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases in 2009 found that antibiotic-resistant infections cost U.S. hospitals more than $20 billion annually.
PSR has helped coordinate physicians in their push for new federal environmental health legislation. More than 1,000 signatures have been collected for the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, introduced in March after getting buried in Congress in 2007 and 2009. Another 378 groups have now endorsed the bill, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“Antibiotics are one of the most useful and important medical advances in recent history. Their effectiveness, however, is being compromised by bacterial resistance, arising in part from excessive use of antibiotics in animal agriculture,” wrote Michael D. Maves, executive vice president of the AMA, in a letter of support for the legislation.
Their effort will have to overcome resistance from folks like pharmaceutical lobbyist Richard Carnevale, of theAnimal Health Institute, who objects to making the changes needed to eliminate the widespread use of antibiotics, such as reducing crowding and providing better sanitary conditions, saying that it would “increase production costs.” Some might say, you pay now or you pay later.
Meanwhile, until we can get such legislation, if you choose to eat meat, you should seriously consider buyingorganic. A recent study shows that poultry raised using organic “practices have significantly lower levels of antibiotic- and multi-drug resistant enterococci bacteria.”
[Image credit/maraker/Flickr Creative Commons]
RP Siegel is the co-author of the eco-thriller Vapor Trails, the first in a series covering the human side of various sustainability issues including energy, food, and water. Like airplanes, we all leave behind a vapor trail. And though we can easily see others’, we rarely see our own.

veterinary services in Vedas

Veterinary service in Vedas

In praise of domesticated cow, वशा - गौ सूक्त, ऋषि-कश्यप
AV 10.10.1
नमस्ते जायमानायै जाताया उत ते नमः ।
बालेभ्यः शफेभ्यो रूपायाघ्न्ये ते नमः ।। अथर्व 10-10-1
Homage to cow while it is being born, and homage to cow after it is born, homage all your beautiful physical form including hair in the tail and the hoofs.
प्रसवकाल में गौ को प्रणाम।
गौ के सुन्दर रूपवान शरीर, सुन्दर पून्छ, सुन्दर खुरों,को प्रणाम।।
10.10.2 Qualities of a Veterinary expert गौ चिकित्सा विशेषज्ञ के गुण
यो विद्यात् सप्त प्रवतः सप्त विद्यात् परावतः ।
शिरो यज्ञ्यस्य यो विद्यत् स वशां प्रति गृह्णीयात् ।। अथर्व 10-10-2
Those who have the knowledge about functioning of the seven parts of the physical body ( two hands, two feet, anus/urethra, vulva and rumen systems that relate to internal functions , and the seven parts (mouth, eyes, ears, skin, udders, dung and urine) which are related to the bounties that are bestowed by cows, those educated wise persons who can relate intellectually in their mind, the role cow plays in the everyday life, only such learned persons are fit to take complete charge of domesticated cows.
AV 10-10-3
वेदाहं सप्त प्रवतः सप्त वेद परावतः।
शिरो यज्ञ्यस्याहं वेडा सोंं चास्यां विचक्षणम् ।। अथर्व 10-10-3
The competent person to take charge of matters connected with cows is skilled with cow care functions, is also aware of the role that cow plays in performance of various yagyas, and thus in promoting virtuous intellectual ecological qualities of society
AV10-10-4
यया द्यौर्यया पृथिवी ययापो गुपिता इमाः ।
वशां सहस्रधारां ब्रह्मणाच्छावदामसि ।। अथर्व 10-10-4
The domesticated cows provide thousands of bounties for protecting the environments impacting the soil, water and the atmosphere. It is for learned people to intelligently make use of all these possibilities in reality.
गौ समस्त द्यौ,पृथ्वी, जलों को संरक्षण प्रदान करती है। परमेश्वर की वेद वाणी से दिए सह्स्रों विद्याओं का उपदेश बुद्धि मान जन ग्रहण कर के लाभान्वित हों।

AV10-10-5
शतं कंसाः शतं दोग्धारः शतं गोप्तारो अधि पृष्ठे अस्याः।
ये देवास्तस्यां प्राणन्ति ते वशां विदुरेकधा ।। अथर्व 10-10-5
Hundreds of persons engage in welfare of the cows, hundreds of persons engaging in care of cows like milking, protecting and providing for the cows and the learned persons who devote themselves to matters connected with cows, (for the welfare of the entire community and environments) serve the society.
गो सेवा से जुड़े सेंकड़ों लोग, उत्तम पात्रों में दुग्ध दोहन, गोसेवा, गोरक्षा से समाज को जीवन दे कर गौ के महत्व को समझते हैं।
Sam Veda 626 High milk yielding Cows. दुग्ध उत्पादन को बढाना
सहर्षभा: सहवत्सा उदेत विश्वा रूपाणि विभ्रती द्वर्यूधनी:। उरु: पृथुरयं वो अस्तु लोक इमा आप: सुप्रपाणा इह स्त ।
Cohabiting with bulls and calves as family high productivity cows of double size milk yielding udders bring immense shine all round to brighten the world, Oh cows come to us. This wide world with running waters be yours for comforts..
हर्षसे, वृषभ गौ वत्स परिवार (नसल सुधार से) दुगनी बड़ी उधनी वाली बन कर प्रचुर मात्रा में दुग्ध प्रदान कर के समाज को सुख रूप गुण युक्त बनाएं। हमारे सब स्वच्छ जल भूमि (गोचर) इत्यादि साधन गौ को समर्पित हों।

Cow's blessings to Masai people

Deccan Herald
Reporter's diary: This is Kenya not India, Masai keep land squeaky clean
• August 1, 2011
• By S. Sujatha
• DC
• Nairobi
Tags:
Kenya, travel

A Masai tribal demonstrates his spring-jump ability, which the Masai tribesmen claim is made possible by their diet of cow’s blood mixed in milk - DC
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Kenya. The name itself conjures images of never-ending veldts and grasslands teeming with animals and of course the Masai Mara National Park, one of the largest and most bountiful wildlife reserves in the world.
While Masai Mara is known throughout the world, the inhabitants of the region, the Masai, are relatively lesser known.
Unlike other Africans, the Masais are instantly recognisable by their colourful clothes and beads and by their tall aristocratic statures and sharp profiles.
While coming from one of the poorer sections of Africa, the Masai, who are hereditary cattle herders, are known for their friendly and easy-going attitude.
Every ready with a salutation of “Jambo”, one hardly ever finds a Masai who is not smiling. They are also great sticklers for cleanliness, a far cry from many of us who wouldn’t think twice about spitting paan on staircases of houses where we do not live.
As an example of their unending patience and good manners, it is said that automobile manufacturers in this East African country need not fix horns in their vehicles.
Though considered under developed, their state of economy does not let these people forget the virtues of courtesy. Even little children never forget their “thank yous” when you share something with him.
Driving through the city or the countryside, you will be forced to keep a chocolate wrapper or empty biscuit packet in your pocket instead of throwing it out of the window, as everything is kept neat and clean.
The Masai may be among the poorest people in the world, but they make sure that their public spaces are extraordinarily clean unlike most city slickers in India.
“Our staple drink is milk mixed with cow’s blood. It gives us iron,” said a lean Masai, who effortlessly springs over 10 feet while keeping his legs together, much like a springbok. Since most Masais live inside the game park, they are not allowed to cultivate the land as it might lead to man-animal conflicts.
They, however, have very strong religious sentiments and visit churches regularly.
Indians are not strangers in Kenya as there is a rich history of Indian businessmen and workers living for generations here. At present too, the country offers many investment opportunities and South Indian professionals head various businesses here.
Companies like Airtel, Essar, Reliance, Tata, Ashok Leyland, Larsen and Toubro etc. all have bases in Kenya.
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1 Comment


subodh kumar 02/08/2011 - 04:42am
A very good article that omitted to mention that majority of long distance running physical endurance records in the world are held by Massai. Average per capita milk consumption of Massai is 3 liters. They do not suffer from obesity and other modern diseases. The social traits - not fighting among themselves - love for cleanliness, love for God in Massai are blessings of Gau mata. The Massai cows belong to the same Bos indicus family as Indian cows. Their cows produce A2 type milk that is free from Opioid BCM7. Massai may be considered a poor community by standards of modern money-centric values. But if they are healthy, physically fit, peace loving, full of self confidence to face even lions in the forests without fire arms. They are God loving. They are RICH people. These are the bounties that flow from cows according to Vedas.

Vitamin D its significance to human health

vitamin D
What can high-vitamin D foods do for you?
• Help optimize calcium metabolism
• Help optimize phosphorus metabolism
• Help prevent type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, heart attack, congestive heart failure, and stroke
• Help prevent falls and muscle weakness
• Help prevent osteoporosis while maintaining bone integrity
• Help regulate insulin activity and blood sugar balance
• Help regulate immune system responses
• Help regulate muscle composition and muscle function
• Help regulate blood pressure
• Lower risk of excessive inflammation
• Lower risk of some bacterial infections
• Support cognitive function, especially in older persons
• Support mood stability, especially in older persons
• Help prevent chronic fatigue
• Help prevent the following types of cancer: bladder, breast, colon, ovarian, prostate and rectal
What events can indicate a need for more foods rich in vitamin D?
• Muscle aches and muscle weakness
• Frequent falls, particularly among older persons
• Bone pain, frequent bone fractures, or soft bones
• Stunted growth in children
• Asthma in children (especially severe asthma)
• Impaired cognitive function, especially among older persons
• Lowered immunity
• Chronic low energy and fatigue
• Depression, particularly among older persons
• Presence of any autoimmune disorder
• Lack of exposure to sunlight for any reason, including geography, use of sunscreen, or wearing of protective clothing
Concentrated food sources of vitamin D include salmon, sardines, shrimp, milk, cod, and eggs. Among salmon, wild-caught fish have been shown to average significantly more vitamin D than non-organically farmed fish.

For serving size for specific foods, see Nutrient Rating Chart below at the bottom of this page.
• Description
• Function
• Deficiency Symptoms
• Toxicity Symptoms
• Cooking, storage and processing
• Factors that affect function
• Drug-nutrient interaction
• Nutrient interaction
• Health conditions
• Supplements
• Food Sources
• Public Recommendations
• References

Description
Up until the mid-1990's, the answer to this question would have been fairly simple: vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin needed to prevent a bone disease in children called "rickets." Previous studies dating all the way back to the early 1800's had determined that cod liver oil could help to prevent and cure particular problems with bone development in children. In the early 1900's, a compound called "fat-soluble factor D" was isolated from cod liver oil, and this factor turned out to be the vitamin that we now refer to as "vitamin D." Scientific investigation of rickets helped establish the role of sunlight in providing us with vitamin D, and it also helped establish the role of vitamin D in bone health.
Beginning in the mid-1990's, however, our understanding of vitamin D began to change in a dramatic way. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the last 15 years have brought a revolution in our understanding of this vitamin! We now know that vitamin D is not simply a fat-soluble vitamin needed for healthy bones- it's also a hormone. When a substance functions like a vitamin, it participates in and regulates our metabolism, allowing it to function properly. And that is exactly what vitamin D does: it helps to regulate our bone development, our muscle function, our immune function, our insulin activity, our calcium balance, and our phosphorus balance. Just like for estrogen and cortisol, there are receptors for vitamin D (called VDRs, or vitamin D receptors) on the cell membranes of most cell types in the body. Instead of serving a very limited metabolic role in relationship to bone health, vitamin D plays a sweeping role in many diverse aspects of our health according to research conducted over the past 15 years.
There are two basic types of vitamin D. Ergosterol is the basic building block of vitamin D in plants. Cholesterol is the basic building block of vitamin D in humans. When ultraviolet light from the sun hits the leaf of a plant, ergosterol is converted into ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2. In just the same way, when ultraviolet light hits the cells of our skin, one form of cholesterol found in our skin cells-called 7-dehydrocholesterol-can be converted into cholecalciferol, a form of vitamin D3. (The revolution in our understanding of vitamin D has led to extensive research on both D2 and D3, and it is the overwhelming consensus of researchers that D3 is our best bet when supplementing with vitamin D. In fact, in 2006, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition argued that D2 should no longer be considered as a nutrient "suitable for fortification or supplementation," given the strong hormonal advantages of D3. You'll find more about the issue of delivery form and supplementation in our section entitled "Form in Dietary Supplements.")
In the life of a plant, the ergocalciferol form of vitamin D2 serves to accomplish most of the desired purposes that were intended for this substance. In the life of a human, however, cholecalciferol is not the final intended form for this vitamin. In order for our bodies to come up with the fully active form of vitamin D3, further metabolism is required. A first step involves conversion of cholecalciferol into hydroxyvitamin D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)D. Hydroxyvitamin D can be formed in the liver, kidney, lung, skin, prostate, brain, blood vessel linings, and macrophage cells of the immune system. An enzyme called CYP27A1 is required for formation of hydroxyvitamin D. A second step involves conversion of hydroxyvitamin D into dihydroxyvitamin D (also called 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D or 25(OH)2D). This second step can take place in the lung, brain, liver, stomach, spleen, kidney, colon, thymus, lymph nodes, skin, placenta, and in the monocyte and dendritic cells of the immune system. An enzyme called CYP27B1 is required for formation of dihydroxyvitamin D. The different forms of vitamin D and their relationships are summarized in the chart below:
Form of Vitamin D Where Found What's Needed to Activate This Form of Vitamin D New Form of Vitamin D That Get's Created
7-dehydrocholesterol Skin UVB sunlight Cholecalciferol
cholecalciferol Many cell types CYP27A1 Hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)D
25(OH)D Hydroxyvitamin D Many cell types CYP27B1 Dihydroxyvitamin D 25(OH)2D
25(OH)2D dihydroxyvitamin D Many cell types Already most active form No new form needed
Dihydroxyvitamin D (the only fully active hormonal form of vitamin D) does not last for very long in our body. The half-life of this hormone is between 2-3 weeks. For this reason, our vitamin D needs must be met on a fairly regular basis.
Before leaving this introductory description of vitamin D, it is important to note that our revolutionized understanding of vitamin D as a hormone found in a wide variety of cell types and responsible for the regulation of many different physiologic process has brought along with it a new understanding of how much we need. (You'll find more information on this topic in our section entitled "Public Health Recommendations.") There is a definite bottom line here: we need much more than we thought! When researchers had been limiting their research on vitamin D to bone health and rickets, they had been arriving at a clinical determination of about 15-20 ng/mL of vitamin D in our blood to keep us healthy. Once the research on vitamin D was expanded to include muscle health, immune health and other aspects of vitamin D function, this blood level of 15-20 ng/mL was clearly determined to be insufficient. Researchers quickly showed that blood levels of 30-50 ng/mL were needed to support these other health functions. In other words, our understanding of "normal vitamin D" has changed completely! Our blood levels need to be about twice as high as we previously thought, and it takes far more vitamin D intake than we previously thought to achieve those higher blood levels. (Once again, you will find more information on this topic in our sections entitled "Form in Dietary Supplements" and "Public Health Recommendations.")
How it Functions
What is the function of vitamin D?
The hormonal functions of vitamin D include regulation of bone health, regulation of muscle health (including both skeletal and heart muscle), regulation of immune response, regulation of insulin and blood sugar, and regulation of calcium and phosphorus metabolism. Further details about these functions are presented in the paragraphs below.
Regulation of bone health, calcium, and phosphorus
Bone composition involves many different substances, including collagen proteins, keratin proteins, and a variety of minerals including silicon, boron, and magnesium. But two especially critical bone components are the minerals calcium and phosphorus. These minerals form the bulk of a substance called hydroxyapatite, which accounts for over half of all bone composition.
The importance of hydroxyapatite in bone places a premium on calcium and phosphorus metabolism and their passage in and out of the body. While bone health is regulated by many different substances in the body-including growth hormone, testosterone, and estrogens-the importance of calcium and phosphorus in bone health also points to the special importance of two bone health regulators, namely parathyroid hormone (PTH) and vitamin D.
It's the job of our parathyroid glands to put out PTH whenever our blood calcium level gets too low. When that happens, PTH triggers release of calcium from our bones in order to boost our blood level back up to normal. PTH also triggers our kidneys to retain more calcium (keeping it available for our bloodstream) and excrete more phosphorus (thereby helping to create a more favorable ratio of calcium to phosphorus in our blood). If there is too much PTH released from our parathyroid glands, however, we may end up removing too much calcium from our bones and leaving too much in our blood, compromising both our cardiovascular and our bone health. Research has shown vitamin D deficiency to be a key risk factor for overproduction of PTH and optimal levels of vitamin D to be associated with healthy parathyroid function (and desirable PTH levels). Like PTH, vitamin D helps the intestines absorb more calcium from our food, and it also helps our kidneys hang on to calcium. But unlike PTH, vitamin D also helps our kidneys retain phosphorus. The two hormones work together in order to assure proper balances of calcium and phosphorus in our bloodstream and in our bones. Interestingly, PTH "knows" that it must act in partnership with vitamin D because it triggers conversion of hydroxyvitamin D into dihydroxyvitamin D (the hormonally active form).
Regulation of immune function
It would be very difficult to overestimate the importance of recent discoveries about vitamin D and the immune system. Vitamin D's role in immune regulation has revolutionized research in this area to such a degree that it is virtually impossible to investigate an autoimmune disease without considering the possible role of vitamin D. This statement holds true for health conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and numerous other autoimmune conditions.
Discovery of vitamin D's critical role in immune function was aided by the discovery of vitamin D receptors (VDRs) on the immune system's macrophage and dendritic cells in the past 15 years. Once triggered by vitamin D, macrophage cells are capable of releasing antibacterial peptides (parts of protein) like cathelicidin, and these antibacterial proteins play a critical role in the immune system's prevention of infection. Of special interest in this area has been infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (responsible for tuberculosis) and Mycobacterium leprae (responsible for leprosy). Vitamin D deficiency has emerged as a clear risk factor for these diseases.
Autoimmune conditions remain an extremely active area of vitamin D research. In current research on multiple sclerosis, for example, clinicians are experimenting with vitamin D doses up to 40,000 IU, and in research on rheumatoid arthritis, doses up to 100,000 IU are being used in some clinical trials. (To get some perspective on these vitamin D supplementation levels, they can be compared to the current adult Dietary Reference Intake recommendations for vitamin D, which range from 200-600 IU.)
Regulation of blood pressure and cardiovascular health
Vitamin D plays a direct role in regulating our blood pressure by inhibiting the activity of a system called the renin-angiotensin system. It's the job of the renin-angiotensin system to help increase our blood pressure whenever it gets too low. (The renin-angiotensin system accomplishes this task by helping our body retain sodium and water-thus providing more fluid in our blood vessels-and by causing our blood vessels to constrict and thereby increasing the pressure inside them.) We need optimal levels of vitamin D to hold this system in check, and to prevent it from raising our blood pressure under inappropriate circumstances.
Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to be a significant risk factor for high pressure in a variety of studies, and risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy (called pre-ecclampsia) has also been associated with maternal deficiency of vitamin D. In one interesting study on a group of individuals with high blood pressure, those whose UVB exposure was increased by using tanning beds (30 min/3 times a week) increased their vitamin D levels by 180% and decreased their blood pressure by about 5%. (Ultraviolet B light is the type of light required to convert 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin into cholecaliferol, a preliminary form of vitamin D.)
The key role played by vitamin D in regulation of calcium metabolism has opened the door to research about broad cardiovascular benefits of vitamin D not limited to its role in regulation of blood pressure. Overloading of cells with calcium is a problem for heart tissue, and it is associated with increased risk of oxidative stress and tissue damage. By triggering unwanted release of PTH, vitamin D deficiency can result in precisely this situation of cellular calcium overload. In several studies, the ability of heart tissue to heal after an event like heart attack has been shown to suffer significantly in the absence of optimal vitamin D.
Regulation of insulin and blood sugar
While researchers are not entirely clear about the exact mechanisms for vitamin D regulation of insulin metabolism and blood sugar balance, there is no doubt that vitamin D plays an important role in this area of body function. Vitamin D deficiency is clearly a risk factor for development of type 2 diabetes, and vitamin D levels have been associated with insulin secretion by the beta cells of the pancreas as well as insulin activity once released into the bloodstream. Interestingly, when vitamin D is deficient in the body and parathyroid hormone (PTH) is released in inappropriately large amounts, too much calcium can accumulate in the cells. When too much calcium accumulates in fat cells, these cells can end up producing too much cortisol, a hormone that counteracts the effectiveness of insulin. Similarly, too much accumulation of calcium in our fat and muscle cells can inhibit the formation of a protein called GLUT-4. This protein helps carry sugar (glucose) out of our bloodstream and into our cells, and it is designed to perform this function whenever directed to do so by insulin. Without sufficient vitamin D, too little GLUT-4 is formed, and insulin lacks one of the proper tools to do its job.
Regulation of muscle composition and muscle function
Research in this area of vitamin D function has expanded enormously in the past ten years, and vitamin D deficiency has been shown to play a key role in prevention of muscle weakness and prevention of falls, especially in older persons. Interestingly, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with too much accumulation of fat throughout muscle tissue, in such a way that muscle strength is decreased and physical performance is compromised. In one study in California on healthy young women, decreased muscle strength was not only associated with vitamin D deficiency but also found to be independent of muscle mass. In other words, women with deficient vitamin D intake were found to have less muscle strength even when their muscles were the same size as the muscles of other women. Some of the research on vitamin D deficiency and risk of falling has also stepped outside of muscle function per se and looked at the broader issue of neuromuscular function and the relationship of muscle movement to nerve activity. Since vitamin D is a key regulator of calcium metabolism, and calcium is known to play a key role in nerve firing and nerve triggering of muscle contraction, this broader research focus may turn up important information about vitamin D and its role in reducing risk of falls.
Prevention of cancer
The role of vitamin D in cancer prevention is a lively area of current research, and the mechanisms linking vitamin D to cancer prevention are not completely evident. Nevertheless, research has shown a clear role for vitamin D in prevention of the following types of cancer: bladder cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate, and rectal cancer. In certain situations, vitamin D may also play a role in cancer treatment. Vitamin D analogs (vitamin-D like substances synthesized in the laboratory) are actively being tests as anticancer agents, especially with respect to breast and prostate cancers.
Other functions of vitamin D
The presence of vitamin D receptors (VDRs) in so many different tissue types-including the brain and skin-has left the door open to a wide variety of vitamin D functions. There is considerable research underway in the area of vitamin D deficiency and cognitive function, especially in aging persons. Senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease are two areas where vitamin D deficiency is under active investigation. Mood disorders-especially depression in older persons-is also an area of active research with respect to vitamin D deficiency. Due to its role in immune regulation and the known presence of VDRs in skin, vitamin D is a particularly good candidate for investigation in a skin-related autoimmune disease like psoriasis. Research in this area is also well underway.
Deficiency Symptoms
What are deficiency symptoms for vitamin D?
Bone pain, frequent bone fractures, and softening of the bones can all be symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. So can muscle aches and muscle weakness since vitamin D helps to regulate muscle composition and prevent too much fat accumulation alongside of muscle tissue. In this context, especially in older persons, frequent falls can point to deficiency of this vitamin. The key role of vitamin D in regulation of immune response means that lowered immunity can be a symptom of vitamin D deficiency, as can the presence of any autoimmune disorder. In older persons, cognitive problems (disturbances in thought processes) and depression can be symptomatic of vitamin D deficiency, and in children, stunted growth and severe asthma have also been shown to have vitamin D deficiency as potential causes.
Toxicity Symptoms
What are toxicity symptoms for vitamin D?
Excessive intake of vitamin D can be toxic, and toxicity of vitamin D can come from either its plant-based (D2) or animal-based (D3) form. Symptoms of toxicity include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, kidney malfunction, and failure to thrive. However, it is also important to note that vitamin D deficiency poses a far greater risk to the vast majority of individuals than vitamin D toxicity and that vitamin D toxicity from food intake is extremely unlikely. Less than one-third of all persons in the U.S. meet the Dietary Reference Intake level for vitamin D, and are far from consuming anything close to potentially toxic levels.
In 2010, the National Academy of Sciences set Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for vitamin D as follows:
• infants, 0-6 months: 25 micrograms (1,000 IU) per day
• infants, 6-12 months: 38 micrograms (1,500 IU) per day
• children, 1-3 years: 63 micrograms (2,500 IU) per day
• children, 4-8 year: 75 micrograms (3,000 IU)per day
• children and adolescents, 9-18 years: 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) per day
• adults, 19 years and older: 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) per day
• pregnant and lactating women, 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) per day.
While these toxicity limits are based on credible data, they do not attempt to address the issue that is posed by higher vitamin D intake amounts potentially needed to offset chronic deficiency of this vitamin. Clinical research has clearly shown that vitamin D supplementation in the range of 1,000-2,000 IU per day is unable to restore optimal vitamin D levels in many individuals with chronic vitamin D deficiency. In many cases, individuals with chronic vitamin D deficiency will need to exceed the vitamin D Upper Limits established by the National Academy of Sciences in order to bring the levels of hydroxyvitamin D in their blood up to optimal levels. Remedy of chronic vitamin D deficiency will also typically require supplementation of vitamin D since everyday food intake is typically unable to provide deficiency-offsetting amounts of this vitamin. Steps to remedy chronic vitamin D deficiency should always be taken in consultation with a licensed healthcare provider who is able guide and monitor changes in blood levels of vitamin D.
Individuals with primary hyperparathyroidism (overactivity of the parathyroid gland not caused by vitamin D deficiency) are at increased risk for vitamin D toxicity and should not take supplemental vitamin D without consulting a physician.
Impact of Cooking, Storage and Processing
How do cooking, storage, or processing affect vitamin D?
Since cow's milk-containing foods are an important source of vitamin D in the United States, and since most dairy products are not only fortified with vitamin D but also pasteurized prior to retail sale, there is good research data on the stability of vitamin D under different heating and storage conditions. Researchers have found virtually no loss of vitamin D following pasteurization of processed cheese under normal commercial conditions. They have also found a vitamin D loss of about 25-30% when cheese is exposed to an oven temperature of 450°F (232°C) for approximately 5 minutes. Since foods like frozen cheese pizzas are often cooked in the oven at temperatures between 400-450°F (204-232°C) for approximately 20 minutes, this research tells us that we can expect at least one-fourth of the vitamin D to be lost during the pizza re-heating process. This percentage of vitamin loss is still relatively low, however, in comparison to similar heating of other foods and loss of other vitamins (especially less heat-stable vitamins, like vitamin C).
Storage of cheese over a 9-month period at temperatures ranging from 39-84°F (4-29°C) have shown virtually no loss of vitamin D, also underscoring the relative stability of this vitamin.
Factors that Affect Function
What factors might contribute to a deficiency of vitamin D?
Insufficient sun exposure
By far the most important D-deficiency contributing factor faced worldwide is insufficient exposure to sunlight. More specifically, it is ultraviolet B sunlight in the range of 290-300nm that is needed to convert 7-dehydrocholesterol found in our skin cells into cholecalciferol (the preliminary form of vitamin D3).
Although the task of "getting enough sunlight" may seem like a fairly straightforward one, the relationship between our vitamin D status and our time in the sun is not nearly as simple as many people might think. First, there is the fluctuating nature of UVB light. UVB light-the kind needed for skin synthesis of vitamin D-is not always present with the same intensity just because there is visible sunlight. The intensity of UVB light varies dramatically with geographical location (latitude), time of year, time of day, degree of cloud cover, and other factors. In other words, there are times when your eyes might leave you thinking that you are getting good intensity UVB light and synthesizing optimal amounts of vitamin D in your skin cells, but you actually are not. In addition, there is the issue of latitude, angle of sunlight, and time of day. In higher-latitude countries across the globe, UVB light in the range of 290-300nm wavelengths may not be available except for a few hours in the middle of the day. In those countries, being outside on a "bright and sunny day" would not be enough to guarantee adequate skin synthesis of vitamin D. Skin pigmentation also plays an important role in skin synthesis of vitamin D. Darker skin pigmentation means less vitamin D synthesis per minute exposure to UVB light. (In the United States, for example, it is estimated that African American adults are 2-3 times more likely to have vitamin D insufficiency than Caucasian adults.) As all of these examples indicate, even when common sense tells you that you are getting good sun exposure and must be synthesizing plenty of vitamin D, you might not be, for a variety of reasons.
Some lifestyles and occupations provide unusual amounts of sun exposure. Individuals who work outdoors throughout the day in warmer climates have a great chance of getting good exposure to UVB light and synthesizing adequate amounts of vitamin D. Under optimal circumstances, our skin can synthesize between 10,000-20,000 IU of vitamin D (cholecalciferol) in 30 minutes. Yes, all of the practical factors still have to line up correctly (like angle of the sun, time of day, degree of cloud cover, etc.), but when people spend generous amounts of times outdoors in the sun on a regular basis, their chances of adequate vitamin D synthesis are greatly increased. At the other end of the spectrum, if an individual typically wears clothing that blocks a lot of the skin from exposure to sunlight, or typically uses sunblock, or works in a job that keeps him or her indoors throughout the day, chances of adequate vitamin D synthesis are greatly decreased.
Based on all of the factors listed above, we believe that the majority of U.S. adults are unlikely to be getting enough exposure to UVB sunlight in the 290-300nm wavelength required to allow for optimal skin synthesis of vitamin D. In addition, we believe that many people may assume that they get plenty of sunlight and have plenty of vitamin D synthesis in their skin cells when they actually do not. Except in cases where lifestyle and/or occupation makes exposure to sunlight an issue that is free from debate, we encourage individuals to avoid assumptions about the adequacy of their sunlight exposure and to treat their vitamin D needs as a matter for special focus and potential reason for follow-up healthcare consultation.
The importance of sunlight for vitamin D health has been the subject of longstanding research. The term "vitamin D winter" was coined several decades ago to summarize the impact of this lower-sunlight season on potential compromise in vitamin D status. More recently, the idea of a "vitamin D winter" has been revisited to include a look at diseases which are related to vitamin D deficiency. Researchers are discovering that many autoimmune conditions have greater severity in winter versus summer, and they are investigating possible links with vitamin D deficiency under these circumstances. Similarly, there has been a strong research trend for studying the occurrence of vitamin D-related diseases at different latitudes on the earth. Over the past 10 years, researchers have found "South to North" trends for increased occurrence of multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, and type 1 diabetes. In other words, there is lesser incidence of these vitamin D deficiency-related diseases at lower latitudes (closer to the equator) where UVB light exposure is presumably higher, and greater incidence of these vitamin D deficiency-related diseases at higher latitudes (farther from the equator).
Breastfeeding and pregnancy
Since nursing mothers must help supply their infants with vitamin D, breastfeeding can pose a challenge both to mothers and infants in terms of vitamin D status. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) have both recommended vitamin D supplementation for both mothers and infants for this reason. (See the section on "Public Health Recommendations" for more information.)
Insufficient dietary fat or inability to absorb dietary fat
Since vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, a diet that is extremely low in fat and/or the presence of certain medical conditions that cause a reduction in the ability to absorb dietary fat may cause vitamin D deficiency. These medical conditions include pancreatic enzyme deficiency, Crohn's disease, celiac sprue, cystic fibrosis, surgical removal of part or all of the stomach, gall bladder disease, and liver disease. Symptoms of fat malabsorption include diarrhea and greasy stools.
Health conditions that involve the parathyroid gland or kidney
Under certain circumstances, the conversion of inactive forms of vitamin D to calcitriol is impaired. For example, diseases that affect the parathyroid gland, liver, and/or kidney impair the synthesis of the active form of vitamin D.
Aging
The production of vitamin D precursors in the skin decreases with age. Additionally, with age the kidneys and many other organ systems and cell types are less able to convert vitamin D to its active hormone form.
Genetic susceptibility
Some individual's genetic inheritance includes genetic polymorphisms that result in the production of vitamin D receptors (VDR) that don't work very well. To help compensate for such VDR defects, these individuals need more vitamin D than would normally be necessary.
Drug-Nutrient Interactions
What medications affect vitamin D?
The following medications impact the absorption, utilization, and/or activation of vitamin D:
• Anticonvulsant medications, including Dilantin, are used to control seizure activity in people with epilepsy and brain cancer, and those who have suffered head trauma through injury or stroke. These medications decrease the activity of vitamin D.
• Bile acid sequestrants (Cholestyramine, Colestipol) are a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels. These drugs may reduce the intestinal absorption of the fat-soluble nutrients, including vitamins A, D, E, and K.
• Cimetidine (Tagamet and Tagamet HB) prevents the release of hydrochloric acid into the stomach and is used to treat the symptoms associated with stomach and duodenal ulcers and acid reflux. This drug may reduce vitamin D activation by the liver.
• Hormone replacement therapy may increase blood levels of vitamin D.
• The corticosteroids are a family of anti-inflammatory drugs, including hydrocortisone and prednisone, that are commonly used in the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis. These drugs reduce the activation of vitamin D.
• Heparin, an anticoagulant prescription medication used to prevent blood clots after surgery, may interfere with vitamin D activation.
Vitamin D impacts the following medications:
• Vitamin D may interfere with the effectiveness of calcium channel-blockers, a class of drugs used to treat chest pain, irregular heart beat, and high blood pressure.
• Taking supplemental vitamin D and calcium along with thiazide diurectics can cause blood levels of calcium to increase above normal levels.
Nutrient Interactions
How do other nutrients interact with vitamin D?
Vitamin D plays a role in maintaining normal blood levels of calcium. As a result, vitamin D impacts the absorption and storage of calcium. Vitamin D also stimulates the absorption of phosphorus.
Vitamin D helps to regulate the production of certain calcium-binding proteins that function in the bones and kidneys. Because these binding proteins are also dependent on vitamin K, interrelationships between vitamin D and vitamin K have become the subject of active research investigation.
Health Conditions
What health conditions require special emphasis on vitamin D?
Vitamin D may play a role in the prevention and/or treatment of the following health conditions:
• Asthma (severe childhood)
• Atherosclerosis
• Bladder cancer
• Breast cancer
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Colon cancer
• Congestive heart failure
• Crohn's disease
• Ovarian cancer
• Depression
• Epilepsy
• Fibromyalgia
• Heart attack
• Hypertension
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Insulin resistance
• Kidney disease
• Leprosy
• Liver disease
• Metabolic syndrome
• Multiple sclerosis
• Myofascial pain syndrome
• Osteoporosis
• Periodontal disease
• Preeclampsia
• Psoriasis
• Rectal cancer
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Senile dementia
• Stroke
• Tinnitus
• Tuberculosis
• Type 2 diabetes
• Ulcerative colitis
Form in Dietary Supplements
What forms of vitamin D are found in dietary supplements?
The two forms of vitamin D used in dietary supplements are ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Ergocalciferol is sometimes considered a vegetarian source of vitamin D since it can be plant-derived. However, yeast is also commonly used as a source of D2 as are other fungi (like ergot). Some individuals would regard these microbially produced forms of D2 as animal-based, while others would not. There's also one "synthetic versus natural" issue involved with supplemental vitamin D. When the plant building block for vitamin D2 (ergosterol) is used to produce vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol), it's usually irradiated in a chemistry lab in order to produce this D2 form.
Cholecalciferol, the D3 form of the vitamin, can be obtained from animal or microbial sources. One practice for generating the D3 found in supplements involves sheep's wool. Sheep (and many other animals) have sebaceous glands in their skin that secrete a complex variety of substances, including cholesterol (in the form of 7-dehydrocholesterol). The secretions from the sebaceous glands naturally find their way into the animal's fur. A supplement manufacturer wanting to produce vitamin D3 supplements can remove the secretions from the fur (in this case sheep's wool), process and purify the 7-dehydrocholesterol, expose it to UVB (ultra-violet B) light, and thereby convert it into cholecalciferol.
From our perspective, very few individuals will benefit from supplementation with vitamin D2 versus vitamin D3. Although we might not go as far as the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition-which argued in 2006 that D2 should no longer be considered as a nutrient "suitable for fortification or supplementation" given the strong hormonal advantages of D3-we believe that the vast majority of unwanted consequences from vitamin D deficiency stem from deficiency of the hormonally active, dihydroxyvitamin D form of this nutrient. For this reason, we believe that D3 is the delivery form of choice when supplementing with vitamin D.
Within the category of D3 supplements, the most common form for vitamin D3 delivery is gel caps containing D3 in liquid form (and often dispersed in flax oil or olive oil). D3 is also available in powdered form in D3 capsules, in powdered form involving pressed tablets, and in unencapsulated liquid form (D3 drops). We have not seen non-proprietary, peer-reviewed studies comparing these various delivery forms of vitamin D3. In general, we have seen more problems with absorption of powdered vitamins from tablets versus capsules due to problems in digestive track breakdown of pressed tablets. For this reason, we favor use of vitamin D3 capsules over vitamin D3 tablets when selecting from dry powder versions of vitamin D3. However, with respect to encapsulated powders versus encapsulated liquids (or liquid drops in unencapsulated form), we believe that your most important consideration is reliability of the manufacturer and quality control/ assurance provided by that manufacturer.
Vitamin D is often measured in International Units (IU) or micrograms. One microgram of cholecalciferol is equal to 40 IU of vitamin D.
Food Sources
What foods provide vitamin D?
Excellent sources of vitamin D include salmon while very good sources include sardines, shrimp and vitamin-D fortified milk.
Good food sources of vitamin D include cod and eggs.

Introduction to Nutrient Rating System Chart
In order to better help you identify foods that feature a high concentration of nutrients for the calories they contain, we created a Food Rating System. This system allows us to highlight the foods that are especially rich in particular nutrients. The following chart shows the World's Healthiest Foods that are either an excellent, very good, or good source of vitamin D. Next to each food name, you'll find the serving size we used to calculate the food's nutrient composition, the calories contained in the serving, the amount of vitamin D contained in one serving size of the food, the percent Daily Value (DV%) that this amount represents, the nutrient density that we calculated for this food and nutrient, and the rating we established in our rating system. For most of our nutrient ratings, we adopted the government standards for food labeling that are found in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's "Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling."Read more background information and details of our rating system.
Food Serving
Size Cals Amount
(IU) DV
(%) Nutrient
Density World's
Healthiest
Foods Rating
Salmon, chinook, baked/broiled World's Healthiest Foods ranked as quality sources of:
vitamin D 261.9 411.00 102.8 7.1 excellent
Shrimp, steamed/boiled 4 oz-wt 112.3 162.39 40.6 6.5 very good
Sardines 3.25 oz can 191.4 250.24 62.6 5.9 very good
Cow's milk, 2% 1 cup 121.2 97.60 24.4 3.6 very good
Shiitake Mushrooms, raw 1 cup 49.3 29.00 7.2 2.6 good
Cod, baked/broiled 4 oz-wt 119.1 63.50 15.9 2.4 good
Egg, whole, boiled 1 each 68.2 22.88 5.7 1.5 good
World's Healthiest
Foods Rating Rule
excellent DV>=75% OR Density>=7.6 AND DV>=10%
very good DV>=50% OR Density>=3.4 AND DV>=5%
good DV>=25% OR Density>=1.5 AND DV>=2.5%
Public Health Recommendations
What are current public health recommendations for vitamin D?
In 2010, the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences established revised Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommendations for vitamin D based on new research in this area. The following Adequate Intake (AI) levels for vitamin D were established in 2010 for infants:
• Infants 0-6 months: 10 micrograms (400 IU) per day
• Infants 6-12 months: 10 micrograms (400 IU) per day
The following Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) were established for children, teenagers, and adults:
• Children 1-13 years: 15 micrograms (600 IU)
• Teenagers 14-18 years: 15 micrograms (600 IU)
• Adults 19-70 years: 15 micrograms (600 IU)
• Adults above 70 years: 20 micrograms (800 IU)
• Pregnant and lactating women: 15 micrograms (600 IU)
While we were glad to see the the National Academy of Sciences making revised public health recommendations in 2010 for increased intake of vitamin D, we do not believe that all health and lifestyle factors evaluated in research studies on vitamin D research were fully addressed in the revised recommendations. Over the past 15 years, more than 10,000 studies on vitamin D have been published in research journals. These studies have convincingly shown that: (1) we need much more vitamin D than we previously thought; (2) lifestyle trends have significantly reduced our exposure to sunlight; (3) prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is far greater than previously estimated, and (4) more vitamin D is required to remedy deficiency than can be obtained in a standard diet.
In studies on infants and toddlers, between 40-65% have been shown to be vitamin D insufficient with blood levels of hydroxyvitamin D below 30 ng/mL in several countries throughout the world, and in studies in the U.S., including a recent study in Massachusetts. Insufficiency has also been shown in U.S. teens, at a level of approximately 60% (once again, using the standard of 30 ng/mL or less for hydroxyvitamin D in the blood). Similar percentages have been determined for insufficiency in older individuals. Among young adults and middle-aged individuals, the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency has been estimated to range from a minimum of about 50% to a maximum of perhaps 75% or greater. It's important to note that "insufficiency" is a looser standard than "deficiency" and generally refers to a blood level of hydroxyvitamin D below 30 ng/mL rather than a blood level below 20 ng/mL. While this lower blood level has traditionally been used to diagnose vitamin D deficiency, it is no longer appears relevant for determining the amount of vitamin D needed for optimal hormonal regulation of many body processes by vitamin D. Realization of this greater level of vitamin D needed in our bloodstream is one result of the revolution that has taken place in our understanding of vitamin D over the past 15 years.
Just as we now realize that more vitamin D is needed in our blood, we also realize that it takes higher levels of vitamin D intake to bring blood levels up to a healthy standard. For example, in situations where sunlight is limited, we know that at least 1,000 IU of vitamin D are needed to increase blood levels of vitamin D from 20ng/mL to 30 ng/mL or higher. For prevention of bone loss in persons at risk for osteoporosis, we know that a minimum of 700 IU is required and that no prevention results have been demonstrated at levels of intake below 400 IU. Under circumstances involving autoimmune problems like rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis, experimental supplemental doses of vitamin D range not in 100s of IUs, but in 1,000s or 10,000s of IUs.
Since personal health history and personal exposure to sunlight play such an important role in determining each individual's vitamin D needs, it is very difficult to make a firm and fast public health recommendation for vitamin D that is guaranteed to meet the optimal requirements of each individual. For this reason, we like the basic two-fold approach taken by the Harvard School of Public Health, which can be found here.
On a first level, even though there is not yet conclusive research evidence available, daily supplementation with vitamin D in the range of 1,000 - 2,000 IU may provide important health benefits for many individuals. If your routine diet does not include plentiful amounts of vitamin D-rich foods, you may want to target the higher side of this range (while also increasing your intake of D-rich foods). If your diet already includes ample amounts of foods that are rich in vitamin D, you may want to target the lower side of this range when deciding on a supplementation level.
On a second level, if you are an individual who might be at higher risk for vitamin D deficiency (for example, because you have very limited exposure to sunlight), we encourage you to consult with your healthcare provider, schedule a blood test for vitamin D, and determine (in consultation with your healthcare provider) an appropriate level of vitamin D supplementation. Depending on the results of your blood test, you may very possibly need a greater level of vitamin D supplementation that is greater than the 4,000 IU Tolerable Upper Limit set by the National Academy of Sciences. Blood testing can definitely help to remove the "guesswork" factor here. You'll be able to determine the actual level of hydroxyvitamin D in your blood and see the actual amount of increase following supplementation at whatever level you and your healthcare provider determine to be appropriate. When supplementing with vitamin D, we support the position of the Harvard School of Public Health (and many other public health organizations) in recommending supplementation with vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) rather than D2 (ergocalciferol)."
What is our bottom line with respect to food versus supplemental intake of vitamin D? Based on studies showing the impact of supplemental D3 intake on blood levels of hydroxyvitamin D, we believe that the vast majority of U.S. adults and children will not be able to achieve optimal vitamin D status from food intake alone. Exactly how much D3 supplementation each individual may need-and the form of this supplementation-should be determined with the help of a healthcare provider. That healthcare provider can not only evaluate personal health history factors but can also monitor the impact of vitamin D supplementation of blood levels of this vitamin.
Despite this likely need for supplemental vitamin D, we also believe that it is important to maximize food intake of vitamin D. Intake of foods rich in vitamin D still remains a natural lifestyle option for obtaining this vitamin, even if this option is not sufficient all by itself to offset lack of sunlight exposure and other factors that have combined to compromise our vitamin D status.
With respect to women who are breastfeeding, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) have both recommended vitamin D supplementation for both mothers and infants. The APP has recommended 200 IU of vitamin D per day for all infants 2 months and older, and 400 IU for newborns during the first days of life. These APP recommendations are generally consistent with the revised 2010 Adequate Intake (AI) levels for vitamin D set by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The NAS recommends 400 IU of vitamin D for newborns and infants up to 12 months of age. It is worth pointing out that direct vitamin D supplementation for the infant is separate and apart from any vitamin D supplementation that the mother herself might need. Given the special challenges posed by breastfeeding for vitamin D sufficiency, the guidance of a healthcare provider is highly recommended to determine the steps needed for optimal vitamin D intake in this situation. Like breastfeeding, pregnancy poses a special challenge for vitamin D sufficiency. Once again, given the widespread nature of vitamin D deficiency, the DRIs may be unable to provide optimal guidelines for many pregnant women. For this reason, pregnant women are encouraged to work out a vitamin D sufficiency plan with their healthcare provider.
The National Academy of Sciences set Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for vitamin D as follows:
• infants, 0-6 months: 25 micrograms (1,000 IU) per day
• infants, 6-12 months: 38 micrograms (1,500 IU) per day
• children, 1-3 years: 63 micrograms (2,500 IU) per day
• children, 4-8 year: 75 micrograms (3,000 IU)per day
• children and adolescents, 9-18 years: 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) per day
• adults, 19 years and older: 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) per day
• pregnant and lactating women, 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) per day.

Vitamin D importance of Cow Milk

Vedas made Soorya Namaskar in front of rising sun an important daily ritual. The science behind this is about Vitamin D.
For a vegetarian the best source of Vitamin D is only cow milk . Please see the table below from Vitamin D council web site:-Salmon, chinook, baked/broiled World's Healthiest Foods ranked as quality sources of:
vitamin D 261.9 411.00 102.8 7.1 excellent
Shrimp, steamed/boiled 4 oz-wt 112.3 162.39 40.6 6.5 very good
Sardines 3.25 oz can 191.4 250.24 62.6 5.9 very good
Cow's milk, 2% 1 cup 121.2 97.60 24.4 3.6 very good
Shiitake Mushrooms, raw 1 cup 49.3 29.00 7.2 2.6 good
Cod, baked/broiled 4 oz-wt 119.1 63.50 15.9 2.4 good
Egg, whole, boiled 1 each 68.2 22.88 5.7 1.5 good

House hold Cows and daily Agnihota

Vedic Life Agnihotra and cows
AV7.73 – मनुष्यकर्तव्योपदेश:अग्निहोत्र और गोपालन
1-5 अश्विनौ; 6,7 सविता, 8,11 अघ्न्या; 9,10 अग्निर्देवता
1.समिधो अग्निर्वृषणा रथी दिवस्तप्तो घर्मो वामिषे मधु |
वयं हि वां पुरुदमासो अश्विना हवामहे सधमादेषु कारव: || अथर्व 7.73
प्रात:कालीन प्रकाश के रथ पर प्रकट सूर्योदय और यज्ञ से दिंचर्या आरम्भ कर के, हम दोनो ( पति पत्नि) गौओं के धारोष्ण अमृत को दुह कर दोनो (पति पत्नि) की इच्छापूर्ति और प्रदूषण के दमन के दोनो पुण्य कार्यों में हर्षित होते हैं.
With the dawn of the day heralded by the chariot of light and our offerings in fire for the morning agnihotra, we the twins (Husband and wife) actively participate in milking the warm nectar of cows, for fulfilling our desires and thus performing our duty.
2.समिद्धो अग्निरश्विना तप्तो वां घर्मं आ गतम्‌ |
दुह्यंते नूनं वृषणेह धेनवो दस्रा मदंति वेधस: || अथर्व 7.73.2
इन दोनो शुभ कार्यों (अग्नि होत्र और गोदोहन) के द्वारा प्रदीप्त तेजस्वी ऐश्वर्ययुक्त दोनो पराक्रमी (पति पत्नि) के द्वारा रोगनाशक पर्यावरण और गोदोहन में बुद्धिमान जन हर्षित होते हैं.
By the two actions of (Agnihotra in the morning and milking of the cows here) you are bringing to all the warmth of well being (nutritive food from cow) and clean environment (by performing Agnihotra).
3. स्वाहाकृत: शुचिर्देवेषु यज्ञो यो अश्विनोश्चमसो द्वपान: |
तमु विश्वे अमृतासु जुषाणा गन्धर्वस्य प्रत्यास्म्ना रिहन्ति || अथर्व 7.73.3
दोनो चतुर ( पतिपत्नि) के आलस्य त्याग कर स्वाहाकृत सुंदर स्वच्छता प्रदान करने वाला यज्ञ मेघ और मुख द्वारा ग्रहण करने योग्य अमृत प्रदान करता है जो दोनो रक्षणीय और प्रशंसनीय हैं.
These two morning actions Agnihotra and milking the Cows by you two ( the husband wife team) by giving up your laziness, bring delight to the perceptive folk (Gandharwas of world) by helping rain clouds ( by Agnihotra) and providing food (through Cows).
4.यदुस्रियास्वाहुतं घृतं पयोSयं स वामश्विना भाग आ गतम्‌ |
माध्वी धर्तारा विदथस्य सत्पती तप्तं घर्मं पिबतं रोचने दिव: || अथर्व 7.73.4
जैसे गौओं से प्राप्त दोनो दुग्ध और घृत, दोनो चतुर पति पत्नि के पराक्रम से प्राप्त हो रहा है, वै से ही सत्पुरुषों की रक्षा के लिए मधुविद्या (वेदों का सब समाज मे सामंजस्य स्थापित कर के आपसी व्यवहार का उपदेश) जानने योग्य है. इन दोनो का सूर्य के प्रकाश में ऐश्वर्ययुक्त और प्रकाशमान जीवन प्राप्त करो.
Just as the twins of milk and ghee are made available from cows, by the efforts of this clever twin (the team of husband and wife) for the preservation of society the wisdom of Vedas that teaches all to live together in peace and harmony, bask in glory of the twins of prosperity and an open free society and enlightened life.
5.तप्तो वा घर्मो नक्षतु स्वहोता प्र वामध्वर्युश्चरतु पयस्वान्‌ |
मघोर्दुग्धस्याश्विना तनाया वीतं पातं पयस उस्रियाया: || अथर्व 7.73.5

चतुर दोनो (पति पत्नि) ऐश्वर्ययुक्त हिंसा रहित प्रकाशमान (वैदिक याज्ञिक जीवन शैलि का उपदेश) गोदुग्ध गरम दुग्ध और तपाया हुवा गोघृत दोनो स्वास्थ्य और यज्ञ युक्त जीवन शैलि दोनो से ईश्वर ज्ञान और समाज की रक्षा दोनो को प्राप्त करो.
The clever twins (team of husband wife) lead a life of love and peace in society. Twin strategy of Vedic life style of agnihotras and wisdom for seeking blessings of Divine and protection of environment are provided by Cow enabled twins of warm milk and heat clarified ghee.
6.उप द्रव पयसा गोधुगोषमा घर्मे सिञ्च पय उस्रियाया: |
वि नाकमख्यत्स्वविता वरेण्योSनुप्रयाणमुषसो वि राजति || अथर्व 7.73.6
इस प्रात: कालीन वेला में सविता देव ने वरणीय सूर्य द्वारा अंधकार रहित प्रकाश से स्वर्ग स्थापित कर दिया है. हे गोधुक्‌ गौ को दोहने वाले, तुम शीघ्र आकर धारोष्ण गोदुग्ध प्रदान करो.
By the grace of Savita Dev, morning sun has banished the darkness of night and established the glory of day light. O care taker of Cows, hurry up to provide us with fresh from cow’s udder raw warm milk
7. उप ह्व्ये सुदुधां धेनुमेतां सुहस्तो गोधुगुत दोहदेनाम्‌ |
श्रेष्ठं सवं सविता साविषन्नोSभीद्धो घर्मस्तदु षु प्र वोचत्‌ || अथर्व 7.73.7
सुख से दुहाने वाली इस गौ को बुलाता हूं. सधे हुए कुशल हाथों से गौ का दोहन हो. सब को उत्तम प्रेरणा देने वाली वृत्तियों से धारोष्ण दुग्धादि पदार्थ हमें उपलब्ध हों.
We reckon with cows of friendly temperaments. Trained skilled hands are employed to milk the cows. All round wisdom and cooperation in the efforts of maintaining good cow ensure healthy clean raw milk to the community.
8. हिङ्कृण्वती वसुपत्नी वसूनां वत्समिच्छन्ती मनसा न्यागन्‌ |
दुहामश्विभ्यां पयो अघ्न्येयं सा वर्धतां महते सौभगाय || अथर्व7.73.8
(पञ्च्गव्य द्वारा) श्रेष्ठ धनों को पुष्ट करने वाली गौ, हृदय से बछड़े की कामना करती हुई रंभाति हुई हमारे महान सौभाग्य के लिए हमारे (घर में) नित्य विराजमान हो.
Best riches in life are provided by panchgavy( Five products from cow namely Milk, curds, butter, Urine and Dung). We pray that for our good luck and well being cow may always stay in our home.
9.जुष्टो दमूमा अतिथिर्दुरोण इमं नो यज्ञमुप याहि विद्वान्‌ |
विश्वा अग्ने अभियुजो विहत्य शत्रूयतामा भरा भोजनानि || अथर्व 7.73.9
विद्वान यज्ञाग्नि का प्रिय अतिथि की तरह प्रेम पूर्वक पोषण और सत्कार करते हैं. जिस से वह हमारे (पर्यावरण प्रदूषण) रूपि शत्रुओं का विनाश करती है.
For protect themselves from harm causing environments and negative mental attitudes, wise men nurture , love and feed the Agnihotra fire like welcome guest.
10. अग्ने शर्घ महते सौभगाय तव द्युम्नान्युत्तमानि संतु|
सं जास्पत्यं सुययमा कृणुष्व शत्रूययतामभि तिष्ठा महांसि || अथर्व 7.73.10
यज्ञाग्नि हम दोनों (पति पत्नि) महान सौभाग्य के हेतु, हमें तेजस्वी, उत्साहवान और सुदृढ़ बना कर शत्रुता पूर्ण आचरण करने वालो को हमारे मुकाबले में शिथिल करे.
Fire of Yagnas brings all the best bounties in life and provides with cheerful positive temperaments. Yagnas also weaken the forces opposing our wellbeing.
11 सूयवसाद्भभगवती हि भूया अधा वयं भगवंत: स्याम|
अद्धि तृणमघ्नये विश्वदानी पिबं शुद्धमुहकमाचरंती || अथर्व 7.73.11
(हमारी गौमाता) सुंदर यवादि खाती हुई भाग्यवती हो जिस से हम भाग्यशाली बनें. हमार गौ सदा (गोचर में) तृणादि खाती और शुद्ध जल का पान कर के विचरे.
Our cow may always self feed in pasture to get green nutrition, and get excellent water to drink to bring good luck to our life.

The A1A2 Milk Story

THE A1 vs A2 MILK STORY
In September 2007 Keith Woodford’s book, Devil in the Milk, hit the book shops, creating a burst of
publicity about the link between the type of milk New Zealanders drink and a range of serious
illnesses, including heart disease, Type 1 diabetes, autism and schizophrenia. The story starts with
the remarkable epidemiological evidence demonstrating the strong association between countries
that have a high intake of A1 milk and a high incidence of both Type 1 diabetes and heart disease.
The book reveals how these diseases and a number of other health problems are linked to a tiny
protein fragment that is formed during the digestion of the A1 beta-casein, a milk protein produced by
cows in New Zealand, Australia and many other western countries. Milk that contains A1 beta-casein
is known as A1 milk, whereas milk that is not is called A2 milk. Originally all milk was A2 until a
mutation affecting some European cattle occurred some thousands of years ago. Herds in much of
Asia, Africa and part of southern Europe remain naturally high in A2 cows.
BCM7
The effects on human health of this tiny protein fragment called beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM7), which
is a powerful opioid or narcotic as well as being an oxidant, are explained clearly and simply by Keith
Woodford, Professor of Farm Management and Agribusiness at Lincoln University in New Zealand.
He brings together the evidence published in more than 100 scientific papers, examines both the
population studies and the research undertaken with animals and humans, and explains the science
that under-pins the A1/A2 hypothesis. He also points to the increasing evidence that BCM7 is
associated with milk intolerance and an additional range of auto-immune diseases, including Type 1
diabetes, an auto-immune disease in which the body destroys its own insulin-producing cells. Type 1
diabetes usually occurs in childhood or early adulthood.
Human milk vs cows milk
The book also contains a number of references to the differences between human milk and cows milk
and the impact this can have on the health and future well-being of babies. One of the differences
has to do with protein differences. As Keith Woodford explains:
“The protein level of human milk is about 1.6% in the first few days following birth and then drops to
about 0.9%. In comparison, bovine milk is typically 3-4%, depending on both the breed and individual
differences. The specific balance between the proteins is also quite different. In bovine milk about
80% of the proteins are casein proteins whereas in humans the major proteins are whey proteins.” (1)
There is also an important difference between the human casein protein and the beta-casein
produced by cows. All human beta-casein is more like the A2 type rather than the A1 type which
means that human milk releases much less BCM7. When testing human milk, New Zealand
researchers found that they got less than 1% of the BCM7 that could be released from the same
amount of A1 milk, meaning that when it comes to the relative opioid effect, human milk has less than
one-thousandth the potential potency of A1 cows’ milk.
Leaky gut syndrome
Part of the puzzle of how BCM7 gets into the bloodstream involves what happens to BCM7 when it is
released into the gut. It should be difficult for BCM7 to get through the gut wall and into the
bloodstream because the molecule is too large. However, some people suffer from leaky gut
syndrome which enables BCM7 and other peptides to pass very easily through the gut wall and into
the bloodstream.
Keith Woodford describes how in people with a leaky gut it is possible to detect BCM7 in the urine.
He states that this condition has been closely associated with the symptoms of autism and
schizophrenia due to the known opioid effects of BCM7, an association confirmed by the presence of
BCM7 in their urine.
“There is also very strong circumstantial evidence that people with stomach ulcers or untreated
coeliac disease absorb BCM7 through the gut wall. It is also likely that babies can absorb BCM7 the
same way; in fact newborn babies need to be able to pass large molecules through the gut wall.
Otherwise they would not be able to absorb the colostrum in their mother’s milk.” (1)
Effects of BCM7 on babies
If newborns are able to pass large molecules through the gut wall then this increases their
vulnerability and susceptibility to the effects of BCM7 in A1 milk and to infant milk formula products
made with milk from A1 cows.
It is well known that opioids including BCM7 can reduce the rate of passage through the gut which
explains why babies fed on cows milk formula products rather that human milk are susceptible to
constipation and in extreme cases can suffer anal fissures. Keith Woodford suggests it is also
possible, but at this stage unproven, that the slower passage of A1 milk through the digestive system
(due to the release of BCM7), increases problems of lactose intolerance.
Early and prolonged exposure to BCM7 in infant formulas may therefore be a significant factor in the
rising incidence of autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and a range of
other auto-immune diseases. Research on the presence of BCM7 in infant formula has not been
done and is urgently needed.
Until then, mothers would be well advised to breastfeed their babies for as long as possible, and to
insist on breastmilk substitutes made with A2 milk, not A1 milk.
It is also not known whether BCM7 is likely to be a problem in cheese, or in ice-cream, yoghurt, and
various other milk products. Until the research has been done, New Zealand consumers need to be
aware that they may also pose similar risks to health that drinking A1 milk does.
The solution
The solution to the problem is both simple and unbelievably cheap. All that is required is for farmers
to ensure that their cows are inseminated, naturally or artificially, with semen from A2A2 bulls. Given
the majority of top bulls in New Zealand happen to be A2A2 this would not be difficult. Some of the
smaller groups of New Zealand dairy farmers, predicting the increase in consumer demand for A2
milk, have already converted their herds to A2 cows. An added bonus for them is that some recently
published research revealed than on average New Zealand A2 cows actually produce more milk than
A1 cows. Keith Woodford has calculated that if farmers used only A2A2 bull semen for their herds it
would take less than a decade to make the switch.
The question that then springs to mind is why has this not been carried out already? This is where
the politics of public health and the vested interests of big business come into conflict.
NZFSA
The New Zealand Food Standards Authority is a government organisation charged with both
protecting and promoting public health and safety, and facilitating access to markets for New Zealand
food and food products. Herein lies the most astounding conflict of interest one could imagine.
NZFSA’s response to the link between the consumption of A1 milk and Type 1 diabetes and heart
disease raised in the publication of a paper by Dr Murray Laugeson and Professor Bob Elliott in the
NZ Medical Journal in early 2003 demonstrated very clearly that in the battle between the interests of
the dairy industry and those of public health, the industry’s interests won hands down. NZFSA
attempted to put a lid on this particular Pandora’s box.
In 2003 Fonterra/the dairy industry and A2 Corporation were slogging it out in the courts, as A2
Corporation was claiming that ordinary milk should carry a health warning. Not an unreasonable
position for the A2 Corporation to take, notwithstanding their vested interests in the issue.
Only two years prior to this – in September 2001 to be exact – Fonterra in its previous incarnation as
the NZ Dairy Research Institute had applied for a patent claiming that A1 beta-casein was associated
the death from mental illnesses in general, and was strongly associated with autism in particular. This
was because it was believed that BCM7 “may induce or aggravate a neurological/mental disorder
such as autism or Asperger’s syndrome.” Epidemiology from 10 countries revealed that intake of A1
milk correlated very closely with WHO data on the level of deaths from mental disorders in those
countries. The NZDRI’s patent application was subsequently abandoned.
During the years between the publication of the paper by Laugeson and Elliott in the NZ Medical
Journal and the publication of Keith Woodford’s book, the NZFSA has continued to place the
interests of the dairy industry above the considerable public health issues that the continuing
consumption of A1 milk represents to the New Zealand public.
In conclusion, the A2 milk story is truly an amazing tale, one that is not just about the health issues
surrounding A1 milk. It is also a story that reveals how scientific evidence can be moulded and
withheld by vested interests, and how consumer choices are influenced and manipulated by the
interests of corporate business.
Written by Lynda Williams, Co-Ordinator, MSCC
References
1. Devil in the Milk by Keith Woodford.

Improving Milk productivity of Indian Cows

IMPROVING INDIAN COWS


1. AI as Breeding Practices:-
AI (Artificial Insemination) is indeed a marvel of modern veterinary science. In US success rates of AI exceeding 80% are common, as also same cows delivering by AI more than ten calves in good Dairy farms is not an exception.
1.1.1 AI Experience in India
With best of our efforts in last 60 years, it has not been possible to achieve overall AI success rates better than 25% in India. Economic hardship of farmers due to extended dry period on account of deficient AI delivery has never been assessed by anybody in India.
1.1.2. Repeatedly failed AI cattle become infertile. Fibroids caused by lack of professional expertise of the AI provider staff, after a few calving renders good fertile cows incapable of future conception. Loss of good milk yielding cows due to infertility has also never been assessed in the Indian Animal Husbandry practice. By poor AI delivery apart from tremendous burden on farmers in feeding cows for the extended dry period, excellent milk cattle is being turned infertile.
In this way AI is helping the cow slaughter industry.

1.1.3. Inbreeding with AI is a well recognized problem in developed world Dairies also. In India as it is we have a lot of inbreeding trouble, AI is being performed for better cattle. But big potential loss of good cattle by inbreeding is inherent in AI.
1.1.4 - Spread of IBR by AI is a well established fact.
IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis) has been an uncontrollable Zoonotic disease. Indian veterinary experts have the data of 20000 animals from Military Farms, Gaushala, Two Coordinated projects and 50 PG studies on this disease from India in support of this observation. It is reaching human population in the form of Swine Flu, Dengue fever, H1N1 infection, Common Cold and Cough spreading like epidemics in colder seasons.

1.1.5. A more practical approach to AI in Indian context is not to overlook the advantages of Natural breeding methods. Normally when cost advantage of AI is demonstrated, the added cost born by the society to find resources for extended dry periods of cattle due to failed AI attempts, cost of cows rendered infertile due to improper AI operations are not taken in to calculations.
Overall total cost of natural breeding service under Indian conditions is far more advantageous than AI.
1.1.6. AI and ET –Embryo Transfer – techniques can be practiced under controlled expert institutions and larger Goshalas as support for the Field Services.
1.1.7. Govt. should consider shrinking its present infrastructure on AI straw production centers, and AI services, by taking a very pragmatic view of their performance in the last many decades under Indian conditions. Saving to the national exchequer and hardships being faced by poor cattle owning farmers will be very significant. Large number of good cows that become infertile due to poor AI delivery practice will also be saved.

2. Cross Breeding
In India large number of identifiable phenotypes of Indian breeds of cows had evolved to suit the natural conditions, over the last thousands of years. Let us not consciously loose this nature’s precious gift to our country.

2.1 Advantage of Indian Breeds.
It is in every veterinarians knowledge that our cows particularly Sindi, Sahiwal, Tharparkar have very heavy sweat glands,large dewlaps and very prominent humps. These physical attributes have evolved over the millennia and endow our cows to have very high ambient temperature sustainability compared to exotic HF and such cows. With global warming trends the entire world will be looking eagerly to import Indian breeds of cows. The existing trends to go in for Indian breeds of Cows for milk in Brazil, Israel and Australia are not mere accidents.

2.2. A2 Milk Advantage
In view of the modern researches about A2 milk, it will be prudent on the part of our Government to stop cross breeding with A1 type mainly HF semen.

3.1 Supply of Natural Breeding Bulls.
Government cattle research institutions should be encouraged to share with Goshalas and similar institutions , better pedigree A2 milk producing calves to be raised as good natural service Bulls.
The present practice of culling the unpromising Cows, Heifers, Male calves and Bulls by periodic disposal by Govt. institutions, should be reformed to share good young male and female stock with range and extension services for promoting breed improvement in the country.

3.2 Involve Goshalas.
It is our experience that there is great shortage of good natural service providing bulls in India. This can be met by providing good pedigree male calves for being raised as Natural Service Bulls. Goshalas and Gosadans should be actively involved in this Bull development work.

4. Feed Strategies

4.1 Green Fodder, Pasture is best
Modern veterinary research has been devoting great efforts to the subject of animal nutrition. Development of various concentrated feed formulations has been propelled by Dairy Industry interests. In Indian context hardly 15% of Indian Milk is in the organized Dairy Sector. It is not logical to let this 15% interest dictate the 85% . Modern Veterinary science can also benefit by understanding traditional cattle rearing practices of India. Hardly any attention is paid to the fact that Indians have the world’s oldest continuous animal husbandry tradition.
4.2 EFA Advantage
Green Fodder and self fed pasture practice results in the lowest cost of milk production and at the same time healthiest milk for human nutrition – low in total fats and high in EFA contents.
4.3 Concentrated Feed Formulations
A very cautious approach is also required to develop alternative cattle feed formulations based on preparing artificially extracted and developed cattle feed constituents. It is very difficult to assess the long term usage effects that may prove harmful in the long run. Very minute quantities of toxins such as HCN carried forward from GM seeds are known to cause immense damage to cattle health and milk productivity. Even the best of commercial enterprises are known to overlook such minute details in their supplies. Thus the traditional Indian self prepared formulations always prove more reliable.
4.4 Indian Traditional Knowledge
Indian knowledge based on thousands of years of practice has always advocated pasture based green fodder. This results in higher milk yields and reduced total fat content of milk, but at the same time enhancing the EFF.The latest researches and practices in NZ, Lipgene project in EU, and researches of Prof. William A. Albrecht of University of Missouri, Columbia are there to support this proposition.

4.5 Low Milk yield Green Fodder Connection.
Experts have been advising about effects of Heat Stress and exotic cross bred cattle as the main reason for wide annual fluctuation in milk productivity of cattle in India. But even the Indian breeds of Milk cows have been observed to show very similar annual milk production variation. A study of our closely monitored herd over last ten years indicates that loss in milk production of Cattle in India is very closely related to non availability of adequate good Fresh Green Fodder throughout the year. Just by making green fodder available throughout the year a minimum 20% increase of milk production can be achieved.
4.6 Enhancing Green Fodder Availability
Problem- Pastures: Develop Waste land Pastures.
This indeed is the greatest challenge for multidiscipline innovative research intervention for experts and business houses to take up, and develop a well managed pasture system in India. This also presents a win win opportunity for everybody. Tremendous social, political and commercial advantages that will also result from success of this strategy can hardly be exaggerated. Lot of research in traditional fodder crops and grasses has been going on in many research institutions. But pressure on cultivable land to produce food and horticulture crops for human consumption makes green fodder cultivation very uneconomical use of cultivable land. Almost total loss of Pastures makes it very difficult to depend on grasses. Vagaries of weather, shortage of irrigation water also affect green fodder availability.
4.7 Development of perennial leaf Fodder Trees for harvesting by pollarding/coppicing should be paid more attention, in different climate zones of India.
4.8 Development of Blue Green Algae such Azolla should also form an important constituent of green fodder for cattle.
4.9 Hydroponics Fodder:-
Indian experience with Hydroponics fodder with imported Fometa devices nearly twenty years ago due to inept handling, was given up as a bad dream. World over Hydroponics fodder is considered a very important Green highly nutritive, high digestibility cattle feed alternative strategy. By vertical growing it improves land use nearly 200 times and reduces irrigation water requirement to mere 5% of normal cultivation and completely immune from vagaries of weather.
We can develop our own Hydroponics Fodder device designs in India to suit various climate zones. As practiced abroad, for India it is not necessary to use air-conditioning and artificial lighting to grow Hydroponics Fodder. It is also possible to avoid use of chlorine as sanitizing agent against fungus problems. Combined with a Biogas plant a Hydroponics Fodder system is a completely green energy based fodder production method for Indian conditions. Just two kg/day of any coarse grain can provide a complete highly digestible & nutritious balanced cattle feed for an average Indian cow, throughout the year.

5. Drinking Water for Cattle
On drinking water Rig Veda in 10.169.1 says
" पीवस्वतीर्जीवधन्या: पिबन्त्ववसाय" Provide drinking water for cows drinking that will be thankfully received even by humans.
Although with problems of good clean drinking water availability for humans, the requirements of good quality drinking water hardly ever receives any attention.
But considering the fact that low productivity and poor fertility are severely faced problems with our cattle, attention is being increasingly given to this subject.
By making changes in water quality alone up to 27% increase in Milk production has been demonstrated in the case studies cited below.
For the Organized Dairy sector that can not only afford but is willing to go an extra mile to achieve better health and productivity , following information will be found very educative.
There are also possibilities of developing more cost effective strategies to provide better drinking water for our cows. This can be a subject for a specialized, India specific, subgroup to research and work upon.

Use of Alkaline Water on Dairy Farms
Reports from 27 Dairy farms using alkali water.
As prepared for IonLife International
With the advent of electrolysis water treatment in the Japanese marketplace, electrolysis alkaline water was introduced into the dairy farms.
This is now beginning to impact on dairy farms in the USA and other countries (See IonLife's Dairy Farm Proposal).
In Japan, knowing the positive health benefits and results that were acquired through human consumption, alkaline water was used in place of tap water as the sole source of water for dairy cows.
The results of this water usage is reported in the subsequent findings. The information was obtained through 27 dairy farms along with a report from a group of veterinarians. The source of each report is identified at the beginning of each report.
In general, the following measurable conditions were noted:
1. An increase in milk output by 18% - 28%.
2. A notable improvement in the quality of milk.
3. Elimination of strong feces and urine odors.
4. Healthier skin condition.
5. Minimized injury to the udder.
6. Decrease in diarrhea cases.
7. Strengthening of the legs.
8. Increased appetite.
9. Able to reduce mineral supplements normally added to the feed.
10. Due to an improved health condition coupled with stronger legs,
extended the productive life span of the cows.
11. Improved the fertility rate and reduced still births in new-born calves.
Aside from the above, the following opinions were noted by the veterinarians:
1. A noticeably increased appetite; no new supplements were added to their diet.
Increase in appetite noted in older cows also.
2. Well digested foods.
3. A beautiful sheen on the cows' hair.
4. Higher fertility rate; higher pregnancy rate.
5. A new-born calf exposed to alkali water matures quicker.
6. A dramatic increase in milk production.
7. Improved liver condition.
8. Strengthened legs.
9. Minimizing of sicknesses; tremendously improved health condition.
10. No adverse conditions noted with the consumption of alkali water. Lesser visits made by veterinarians.
The following are individual findings that have been noted by each dairy farmer that have replaced tap water with alkali water.
A. Dairy Farm: Kasahara Ranch
Location: Nomura, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. G. Kasahara
1. The milk output had increase from 7,000kg o 8,900kg or an increase of 27%.
2. The use of the alkali water had instilled a preventive approach to the overall health condition of the dairy cow in lieu of reactive medical means.
The overall health condition of the herd had improved dramatically.
B. Dairy Farm: Shikawa Ranch
Location: Momembetsu, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. T. Shikawa
1. There was a noticeable improvement in the quality of the milk.
2. Despite the high temperature during the Summer months, the milk output had increased dramatically.
During the previous Summer months, milk output had declined.
C. Dairy Farm: Sudo Ranch
Location: Munetani, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. M. Sudo
NOTE: Unlike other dairy farms, this farmer had discontinued the use of alkali water to measure the effects of returning to normal tap water.
The following were the effects that were noted:
1.The strong odors associated with cow excrements had returned after a period of time when the foul odor had been eliminated through the consumption of alkali water.
2.The sheen that was once present on the cows had disappeared and the hair had returned to a lackluster condition.
3.The frequency of diarrhea had increased.
4.Weakness was noticed in the cows legs as opposed to the strengthening of the cows' legs during the use of alkali water.
D. Dairy Farm: Takahashi Ranch
Location: Notsuke, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. Takahashi.
1.The sickness rate was considerably reduced.
E. Dairy Farm: Hamanasu Ranch
Location: Mombetsu, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. S. Nakagawa.
1. The coloring of the udder became extremely healthy.
2. Due to the alkali consumption and it's natural healing ability, the amount of injury to the udder had diminished.
3. The milk output has increased by 800 kg per cow.
(NOTE: since there was no "before and after" numbers provided the percentage of increase could not be determined.)
F. Dairy Farm: Karita Ranch
Location: Notsuke, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. H. Karita
1. The results were excellent in every manner.
Milk production was considerably higher, the sickness rate was down, problems associated with diarrhea were minimized, the foul odor from the excrement was gone, the cow's appetite was up, the sheen on the cows' hair was considerably higher and the overall quality of the milk was up.
G. Dairy Farm: Sunnydale Ranch
Location: Hyotsu, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. M. Danshora
1. In prior years, in an effort to increase milk production, increased feed was given to cows.
With the use of alkali water, the need of increasing feed was minimized.
2. Despite the pregnancy of the cow, the amount of milk production has not decreased.
In prior pregnancies, the amount of milk production had decreased. This was noted in 9 out of 10 cows.
3. The improved health condition of the cows along with the stronger legs have reduced the turnover of cows.
This has considerably improved the productivity life span of each cow.
H. Dairy Farm: No Name Given
Location: Mombetsu, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. T. Yamaguchi
1. The overall skin condition of each cow had improved dramatically.
2. The foul odors associated with excrements and urine were eliminated with the consumption of alkali water.
3. The farm was able to reduce the amount of mineral supplements that were being added to the diet on account of the alkali water.
4. The newly born calves have experienced no diarrhea.
I. Dairy Farm: Koizumi Ranch
Location: Kamikawa, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. T. Koizumi
1. The recovery period for cows giving birth had improved noticeably with the consumption of alkali water.
2. The cows have experienced increased appetite.
3. Despite the higher temperature during the Summer months, the milk output had increased dramatically.
4. The consumption of alkali water had stabilized the pH factor for each cow.
J. Dairy Farm: Honami MBB Ranch
Location: Joro, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. Y. Takigawa
1. There was a remarkable improvement in the quality of milk.
2. The cows increased their water intake which resulted in increased milk production.
3. The cows experienced reduced diarrhea conditions.
4. There was a remarkable improvement in the hair and skin texture of every cow.
K. Dairy Farm: Aneshi Ranch
Location: Esachi, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. K. Aneshi
1. Due to the consumption of alkali water and the improved immunity levels, there was lesser injuries to the cows' udders during the milking process.
2. The milk output had increased from 282 tons to 360 tons or a 28% increase.
3. It was a financially and economically-wise decision to use electrolysis alkali water.
L. Dairy Farm: Royal Farm
Location: Kamikawa, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. T. Sawamoto
1.The milk output had increased from a range of 7,000 to 7,300 kg to a higher output of 9,000 kg or a 28% increase.
2.Due to the unstable water condition, the farm had gone to electrolysis water. This decision ended up being a financially-wise decision.
M. Dairy Farm: Nogyo Kyosai Dairy Association
Location: Kushiro, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. M. Sugiyama
1. The use of alkali water has considerably reduced the number of sick cows and dramatically improved the health condition.
2. The farm has not measured all the positive effects brought about by the alkali water but on the other hand have not experienced any negative effects.
3. One noticeable difference was their improved digestion.
N. Dairy Farm: Okura Ranch
Location: Asahi-kawa, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. Y. Okura
1. The alkaline water has produced healthier cows.
There were no changes to the diet or the environment but the cows became healthier.
2. Increased their monthly sales by $20,000.00 through increased milk output.
(NOTE: There were no other comparative numbers provided to determine the actual increase in productivity levels.)
O. Dairy Farm: Aikawa Ranch
Location: Akan, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. M. Aikawa
1. The odors that are normally present in the urine and excrements were dramatically reduced.
2. The birthrate was considerably increased by the increase in fertility rate and the minimizing of stillborn calves.
3. There was a dramatic increase in milk production.
4. This farm is utilized as a model ranch in the use of alkali water.
P. Dairy Farm: Mitani Ranch
Location: Yubari, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. K. Mitani
1. Experienced 100% fertility and birth rates through artificial insemination.
Q. Dairy Farm: Ueda Ranch
Location: Akan, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. T. Ueda
1. The fortified calcium through the electrolysis water has strengthened the legs of the cows.
2. Due to the dramatically-improved health conditions, the quality of the milk has improved.
3. In the long run, the use of alkali water is a totally economical approach to the dairy industry.
R. Dairy Farm: Yamatani Ranch
Location: Kamikawa, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. M. Yamatani
1. The quality and quantity of the milk has improved considerably.
2. Considerably minimized the sickness rate of each cow.
3. Minimized diarrhea conditions.
4. An overall improvement was noted in every aspect of the dairy cow equating to better economic conditions.
S. Dairy Farm: Yamamoto Ranch
Location: Amashio, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. M. Yamatani
1. The milk output had increased from 317 tons to 393 tons or an increase of 24%
2. The cow became fertile with one month of giving birth.
3. There was a substantial reduction to the number of veterinary visits.
4. There was a noticeable increase in their appetites.
T. Dairy Farm: Saida Ranch
Location: Shirahata, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. K. Saida
1The milk output had increased from 8,641 kg to 10,1 77kg or an increase of 1 7.8%.
U. Dairy Farm: Fukagawa Ranch
Location: Joro, Hokkaido
Spokesperson: Mr. E. Fukagawa
1. There was a substantial reduction to the number of veterinary visits.
2. Reduced the swelling rate of the cows' legs.
3. Reduced the rate of external wounds caused by suction cups.