What are the side effects of Adulterated Milk?

Niryas.com : You might have always heard high praise about the nutritional benefits of milk (full cream organic milk), through the mouths of your ancestors, but standing in the present times that is a myth. Today, the milk industry is after quantity rather than quality. As a result there are many milk adulterants used to beef up the milk quantity. Indian Council of Medical Research recently reported that "milk adulterants have hazardous health effects."  Even some years back you would find the local milkmen diluting pure milk with water to increase its volume. Today, there are many other milk adulterants that are added. And these adulterants can cause many health problems, when you consume milk on a regular basis. Now, let us go through some of the dangerous milk adulterants and how they can impact your health.

Oxytocin Injections

These hormone injections are used to increase the milking capacity in cows and buffaloes. Though the use of Oxytocin injections on cattle has been banned by the Indian government yet its usage is still rampant across India. The injection causes hormone release among the cattle. But the small quantity of oxytocin is passed into the milk and can cause hormonal imbalance in people who are consuming the milk. Some of the side effects caused by oxytocin include:

• Early development of breasts in girls
• Gynecomastia (Male breast)
• Heart diseases (such as high or low blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, premature ventricular contraction etc.)
• Kidney diseases
• Poor eyesight
• Loss of memory

Formalin (Formaldehyde)

Formalin is a preservative and disinfectant that was primarily used to preserve dead bodies and other biological samples. But, today this chemical is being used to increase the lifespan of milk. Dairy farmers are using a few drops of formalin to save expenses of refrigeration. But in this process, they are putting the milk consumers' health in jeopardy. Some of the side effects of formalin include:

• Cancer
• Skin diseases
• Eye diseases
• Gastrointestinal diseases such as ulcers
• Kidney problems

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen Peroxide does a similar role to formalin. It is used to increase the shelf life of milk and wards off bacterial growth that may turn milk unfit to consume. Even small quantities of Hydrogen Peroxide consumption on a regular basis can lead to many health hassles such as:

• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Gastrointestinal diseases
• Poor digestive system

Detergents

If you thought white milk with foam was the sign of its purity then you are wrong. This effect can be attained by adding detergent to milk. Detergents give milk the whiteness and thickness that would lure the end consumers. But it would cause many long term health problems such as:

• Gastrointestinal diseases
• Kidney problems

So, it is important to consume milk from only the most reputed brands. Trusting on the local milkmen is not a wise idea any more.