The science behind veganism is solid
Re: “When it comes to cancer, listen carefully for quacks”, Have Your Say, June 19.
The term “vegan” was born in 1944 by Donald Watson because many people claiming to be vegetarians were consuming eggs and dairy products. They referred to themselves as “ovo-vegetarians” and “lacto-vegetarians”. Others even called themselves pesca-vegetarians since fish formed part of their diet.
Vegetarian denotes someone who consumes only vegetables and plant-sourced products, but the term was clearly being abused. Watson took the first three letters and the last two letters of vegetarian to form the word vegan, to refine the true meaning of consuming only plant-sourced products. Veganism is not a cult and certainly not fanatical. Physiologically, it is naturally suited to the human metabolism, containing all the nutritional requirements for a strong healthy body.
Scientific and epidemiological investigation has shown that both breast and prostate cancer share a common cause linked to cow’s milk and dairy products. Professor Jane Plant devoted her excellent book “Your Life in Your Hands” to the issue. She suffered breast cancer, which she overcame on her own initiative with scientific reasoning. As she says, “There are no guarantees in life, but we can minimise the risks.”
Cow’s milk is far too powerful for the relatively small, slow-developing human animal. It is over-rich in minerals, vitamins and above all hormones. A new-born calf has to develop quickly to run with the herd for safety. Its cells multiply at a very high rate. In a human body, the same will occur, potentially causing cancer.
JC Wilcox
