“Attacks of apnoea [where babies temporarily stop breathing] and muscular atony [where babies go limp] after exposure to cow’s milk may be also explained by extra-central activity of [casomorphin—meaning outside the brain].”

“Casomorphin, this opiate-like peptide produced by cow’s milk, “is also responsible for triggering pseudo-allergic reactions,” and other abnormalities seen in crib death. And moreover, similar to morphine, they delay the gastric emptying time, and so may increase the risk of infants refluxing stomach content back up into their lungs.

“Thus, it can be said that the so-called milk-apnoea effect may consist of several components: an opioid-induced respiratory depression, an opioid-induced [pseudo-allergic] histamine-related respiratory response, an influence on the…peripheral nervous system, a cow’s milk-induced reflux, [followed by] aspiration-induced apnoea.”

Sudden infant death syndrome is not the only condition linked to these morphine-like compounds. From another medical journal recently: “casomorphins liberated from the cow’s [milk protein] beta-casein are accused of participating in the cause of such conditions as: autism, [crib death], [type 1] diabetes, postpartum psychosis, circulatory disorders, [and] food allergies…”

In terms of autism risk, whereas the human casomorphins, which are the only ones found in the breast milk of women who don’t drink cow’s milk, are associated with “normal psychomotor development and muscle tone.” In contrast, elevated levels of bovine casomorphin found in cow’s milk-based, formula-fed infants was associated with a “delay in psychomotor development” and muscle spasticity.

This evidence suggests that the inability of some infants to adequately eliminate bovine casomorphin may be “a risk factor for delay in psychomotor development and other diseases such as autism.”

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

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