192 THE CHINA STUDYin addition to those presented previously (p. 190). In a separate study,
antibodies to beta-casein, another cow's milk protein, were significantly
elevated in bottle-fed infants compared to breast-fed infants; children
with Type 1 diabetes also had higher levels of these antibodies.^37 In
short, of the studies that have reported results, the findings strongly
confirm the danger of cows milk, especially for genetically susceptible
children.THE CONTROVERSY OF CONTROVERSY
Imagine looking at the front page of the newspaper and finding the
following headline: "Cow's Milk the Likely Cause of Lethal Type 1
Diabetes." Because the reaction would be so strong, and the economic
impact monumental, this headline won't be written anytime soon,
regardless of the scientific evidence. Stifling this headline is accom-
plished under the powerful label of "controversy." With so much at
stake, and so much information understood by so few people, it is easy
to generate and sustain controversy. Controversies are a natural part
of science. Too often, however, controversy is not the result of legiti-
mate scientific debate, but instead reflects the perceived need to delay
and distort research results. For example, if I say cigarettes are bad for
you and provide a mountain of evidence to support my contention,
the tobacco companies might come along and pick out one unsolved
detail and then claim that the whole idea of cigarettes being unhealthy
is mired in controversy, thereby nullifying all my conclusions. This is
easy to do, because there will always be unsolved details; this is the
nature of science. Some groups use controversy to stifle certain ideas,
impede constructive research, confuse the public and turn public
policy into babble rather than substance. Sustaining controversy as a
means of discrediting findings that cause economic or social discom-
fort is one of the greatest sins in science.
It can be difficult for the layperson to assess the legitimacy of a highly
technical controversy such as that regarding cow's milk and Type 1 dia-
betes. This is true even if the layperson is interested in reading scientific
articles.
Take a recent scientific review^38 of the cow's milk-Type 1 diabetes
association. In ten human studies (all case-control) summarized in a
paper published as part of a "controversial topics series,"38 the authors
concluded that five of the ten studies showed a statistically Significant
positive association between cow's milk and Type 1 diabetes and five did