A drug long used to treat gout also improves blood vessel function in people with heart failure. The drug, known as allopurinol, is often used to treat gout, a painful form of arthritis caused by abnormally high levels of uric acid in the blood. The drug blocks an enzyme called xanthine oxidase (XO) that is involved in producing uric acid.
XO is also thought to play a role in oxidative stress, or the accumulation of cell-damaging substances called "free radicals." Oxidative stress also contributes to chronic heart failure, so researchers at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee, Scotland, set out to see whether blocking XO with allopurinol might benefit people with heart failure.
In chronic heart failure, the heart becomes enlarged and loses its ability to pump blood efficiently. Symptoms include breathlessness, swelling of the feet due to fluid accumulation and fatigue.
Heart 2002 March;87(3):229-34
You might be wondering why I am making the jump from a drug being used to treat heart failure to saying milk may contribute to heart failure.
Well, if you studied biochemistry, you would know that milk contains the enzyme xanthine oxidase which allopurinol works on. It stands to reason that if you limit your exposure to this enzyme you will obtain benefits similar to taking the drug, without the side effects or costs, of course.
Xanthine oxidase in milk is changes for the worse during the homogenizagtion process. Normally, proteins are broken down once you digest them. However, when milk is homogenized, small fat globules surround the xanthine oxidase and it is absorbed intact into your blood stream. There is some very compelling research demonstrating clear associations with this absorbed enzyme and increased risks of heart disease.
I don't believe all milk is bad, and many individuals benefit from milk that is not pasteurized or homogenized and obtained from animals that were fed grass and not grains. Unfortunately, raw milk can legally only be sold in California. So, unless you have access to an animal that produces milk in that state, you will most likely benefit from avoiding milk.
If you aren't yet convinced of the value of avoiding most commercial milks, review the article below.
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