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One of the enduring facts about Sheep Milk is its high Calcium (Ca) content and the other fact is that because we are all living so much longer, many more of us are going to end up suffering from osteoporosis. Maybe this can be blamed on our youth, and certainly the next generation will have no one but themselves to blame if they suffer too.

Bone density is laid down during adolescence.
From then on Calcium is excreted at the rate of around 150 mg/day.

1997 Adequate intake of calcium per day
From the Nutrition Bible and National Osteoporosis Society.

*sheep milk is too high in protein for babies and should only be given if professionally modified. However nursing mothers benefit greatly by drinking it.

If less is absorbed per day:
Expect retarded growth
Deformed or brittle bones in children
Poor teeth with dental caries
Poor nails
Poor hair
Osteoporosis in adulthood
Stress.

Contra indicated for Osteoporosis sufferers:
A "dairy free" diet, which usually only means cow milk products
A high protein diet, too much meat etc
High sodium or Caffeine
High fibre diet, especially bran, bean, nuts etc unless taken with sheep milk/yogurt
Oxalic acid as in rhubarb and some chocolate, spinach etc
Cigarette smoke
Chocolate with almonds
Soda pop, cola type drinks etc as well as too much alcohol!

A statistical study at Harvard University, USA has shown that young people who drink excess soda pop or cola type products are 5 times more likely to have bone fractures and end up with osteoporosis to ones that drink milk, or other drinks. Caffeine seems to be the culprit. It helps the kidneys excrete calcium from the diet.

Must have Vitamin D to be able to absorb calcium, Vitamin D comes from sunshine. Sheep products have up to four times the amount of Vitamin D to cow milk, probably because they spend more time out of doors. Adequate calcium plus Vitamin D in conjunction with careful exercise can relieve pain and halt bone loss and so reduce the risk of future fractures. No need to take extra Vitamin D if some time each day is spent out of doors as the body collects and stores it.

Exercise is essential, walking at at least 4 mph is needed to benefit bones, as is also skipping, playing games like tennis etc; swimming is good for your heart not your bones. Resting in bed helps to excrete calcium so is not recommended.

Never too late to benefit from sheep milk. For a child it helps to develop bone density. In the very old, it will halt further bone loss that is due to calcium deficiency. Even if some has already been lost, stopping further loss is essential.

Osteoporosis is becoming more common now because people live longer. However in the Balkans, people live to be well over 100 and are hale and hearty because they live on sheep milk yogurt, live out of doors a lot of the day and take lots of exercise.

Bone density is laid down initially in adolescence, if you do not abuse your body after that by drinking the wrong things, smoking or drinking too much coffee or tea, and taking in a daily supply of sheep milk products it might last a lifetime EXCEPT stress denudes the body of calcium.

STRESS starts the deterioration of your teeth, your nails, your hair and finally your bones.
Make sure that if you come to a stress situation, double your intake of calcium.

The obvious source is milk, yogurt and cheese. This can be topped up by other sources like oily fish with bones (tinned salmon) and supplements. Even Antacid tablets can actually help

Calcium carbonate is just a stage or two short of marble and not easily assimilated., only about 4% can be absorbed, so you would have to chew up a awful lot of chalk to get the 1000mg daily dose.
Old people cannot absorb Calcium carbonate, so must have Calcium lactate, a more complex form of calcium , Calcium gluconate or Calcium citrate etc.

Beware the often recommended high fibre diets and coffee breakfasts unless balanced with milk, especially sheep milk, as the phytates in bran as well as the caffeine in coffee or tea actually inhibits the absorption of calcium. Sheep milk and Yogurt is ideal over a breakfast cereal. Sheep milk is often described in Europe as "Coffee milk" because it goes so well with it. Lactose in milk actually stimulates the absorption of calcium

It used to be said that it was not possible to absorb calcium after the age of 35 to 40. However this is now found to be no longer true and even at 70 years old plus, you should take in at least 1000mg /day of calcium to include 2-3 servings from the milk, yogurt and cheese group daily.

Sheep Milk and milk products are the best source of calcium because the riboflavin (B2), phosphorus, potassium as well as Vitamins A and D are considerably higher in sheep milk than cow milk

Notes.

Sheep milk can provide 254% of daily requirement of an 800 mg/day requirement
Cow milk can only provide 170%

In Northern climes, e.g. UK, it is thought there is a less supply of sunlight and hence Vitamin D, while there is a high intake of protein and Phosphorus, so at least 50% more calcium is required daily unless you live an outdoor life.

The human body contains about 1,200 g of calcium. This amount has to be maintained from the age of 20 onwards. There are times of rapid skittle growth (childhood and puberty) and then it settles down. But because it is always being excreted as well as used up, it has to be constantly replaced. Bone loss starts at about 50 years of age and proceeds at twice the rate in women as in men.

Good sources of Vitamin D. Cod liver oil; herrings; mackerel; canned salmon; tuna; eggs, sheep milk. A minimum daily intake of 200 IU of Vitamin D is required.

Trace elements like Selenium and Cobalt etc are always helpful in the absorption of calcium.

Lactose is essential in the absorption of calcium. Some people think they are lactose intolerant, so some way round this must be found. As lactose is partly converted into lactic acid in yogurt, maybe that would be a safe way to take in lactose. Try sheep milk yogurt. Human milk has 7% of lactose in it, so often it is the giving up of milk drinking in childhood that causes lactose intolerance.

The significance of milk as a source of dietary calcium in a western type diet cannot be over emphasised.
As it takes twice as much cow milk to supply the calcium required per day, is it not better to buy sheep milk in the first place?

Sheep milk products are the perfect alternative for people who are allergic to cow or goat milk. They are very healthy with high, easily absorbed calcium and zinc with a Calcium/ Phosphorus ratio that is ideal for human health and well being.

with special attention to food Allergy (particularly milk) and their substitutes, by Leonard S. Girsh, M.D. Adjunct Professor, Univ. of Wisconsin, visiting Guest Professor at Oxford

This is an interim paper based on the televisual presentation at our Conference, which was prepared jointly by Dr Girsh and Dr Haenlein. Numerically the crude data used came mainly from two separate questionnaires collected from our own sheep's milk customers. A scientific paper giving a more exacting analysis is in preparation, a copy of which is promised for a later issue.

A study of 206 individuals from the UK, 195 of whom were intolerant to cow's milk (11 were tolerant to cow's milk.) demonstrated the advantageous nature of using sheep's milk for treatment of food allergies and symptoms associated therewith. These individuals listed other offensive dairy products (containing cow's milk) such as custard, chocolate, yogurt, milk puddings, butter, cheese, cream and ice cream. Symptoms noted most frequently were diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, headache, irritability, stomach ache, bloating, skin rash, eczema, nasal congestion, migraine, hyperactivity (in childhood).

Of the 206 participants in the study, tolerance of sheep's milk was near unanimous; 99% tolerating sheep's milk with 83% preferring it. Other probable milk substitutes, during the initial comparative trial period., gave responses of approximately 36%, leaving sheep's milk as the product most relied upon in this one year observation study. It is remarkable that the multiplicity and severity of allergic symptoms produced by cow's milk were relieved by the simplistic substitution of sheep's milk. Other time honoured comparative substitutes (during the initial trial period for each participant), were much less satisfactory, averaging 36%, (33% to 39%)

The presence (found in all mammalian milks) or absence (in all animal milk substitutes) of lactose did not appear to be a factor. Additionally, it should be noted that commercially produced reduced lactose milks are treated with enzymes such as lactase, and may have undergone modification of glycoproteins found in the milk when lactose is split off from the protein.

Clinical symptoms typically seen with cow's milk allergy include

1    Colic to 3 months
2    Eczema (asthma of the skin) 3 months to 3 years
3    Bronchial asthma 2 - 3 years onwards*

An example of the many patients I cared for - A patient was admitted to the emergency room, age 20, with asthma; upon rolling up his sleeves, eczema was observed in the bends of his arms, possible life time stigma of cow's milk allergy. With the stopping of milk and milk products the asthma was relieved.

Another example - a group of 73 participants (in total of 206) all now on sheep's milk , showing improvement of symptoms, 35 reported almost instant improvement of symptoms and 26 reported a gradual improvement of symptoms. (incomplete answers were provided by 7 participants).

Most common other offending foods (other than dairy which was 100%) were chocolate (79 of 133) wheat 37 of 133 and beef 30 of 133. Four breast feeding mothers noted the disappearance of their infant's colic, almost instantly, when the mothers discontinued ingestion of cow's milk and dairy products, and used sheep's milk as a substitute (emphasising how milk can be a vector for foreign proteins ingested by a lactating mother, either human or animal [e.g. cows]) I have also been able to alleviate symptoms associated with arthritis and joint pain by eliminating milk (cow's milk) and beef from the diet of the subject.

This observation has been extended to other chronic arthritis patients (i.e. the elimination of cow's milk or beef from their diet). This observation demonstrates the therapeutic potential of this diet as a treatment modality for progressively severe arthritics. It might even include arthritis cases of such severity that joint replacement is being considered.

Detecting casual factors of dyslexia can be illustrated as follows: Two brothers whose parent, a teacher, noticed changes in behaviour after the ingestion of milk further noted changes in handwriting after the ingestion of milk or milk products. By daily charting of handwriting it was possible to note the deviation from diet correlating the behavioural changes and induced learning disabilities -one child became dyslexic and the other developed phonetic spelling (manifested in the reversal of the letter L to J and 9 to P and could not follow the lines on a page

In conclusion we have found in this study that sheep's milk represents a significant breakthrough as a milk substitute in cow's milk allergy and intolerance, along with a high rate of acceptance.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the invaluable help of Dr. George Haenlein and the following, who enabled me and who generously contributed of their time knowledge and effort, in the initiation and completion of this UK-US cooperative study and its presentation on November 10/2001

George Haenlein, PhD Professor, University of Delaware, USA
Alan Duffield, Chairman of the B.S.D.A,
Doctors Gil Hardy and Neil Heppel, Professors, Oxford Brookes. UK

Olivia Mills died on 21^st September 2002 after several months fighting against cancer.

Olivia was a person of great determination, but single minded she was not. Her interest in farming, local history, medieval agriculture, horsemanship as well as sheep dairying and cheesemaking show the breadth of her interests and expertise.

In 1949, at the age of 21, she inherited the 400 acre family farm which was stocked with a high yielding dairy herd, sheep and cereals. After an interlude with pigs she came to consider sheep dairying as an alternative to the dairy herd. She travelled extensively while researching this project, and in 1977 set up a sheep dairy flock, after a period during which she considered a third profit from milking the ewe. The 1970’s and early 1980’s were a period of revival in farm cheesemaking, both in this country and abroad, and Olivia was one of the pioneers in this field.

In 1983 Olivia published ‘Practical Sheep Dairying’ incorporating in it her experience of sheep dairying and cheesemaking. Strangely, although probably more sheep are milked in the world than other species, this book was the first work on this topic and there have been very few successors. As a result, it was reprinted in 1984 and actually translated into Russian.

Olivia realised that an exchange of ideas and experiences and the dissemination of information was essential if the new sheep milking industry was to succeed, and eventually in 1983 the British Sheep Dairying Association was established at an inaugural meeting at Wield Wood. The original committee included Carol Neilson (maker of Bara C), John Nicholls, Stewart Bell, Harold Woolley and Gerald Corlass. Olivia became Honorary Secretary, and Keith Swannack Hon. Editor of Sheep Dairy News, the triannual publication which from the beginning was an essential part of BSDA activities. The first number appeared in autumn/winter 1984.

As a result of her research into sheep dairying and her publication of ‘Practical Sheep Dairying’ Olivia became an accepted authority in her chosen field, in contact with other specialists at home and abroad. She acted as consultant on sheep dairying and cheesemaking in countries as diverse as India, Poland, Sweden, Hungary and Uruguay to name just a few, and spoke at conferences. The wide network of contacts was of major importance to the BSDA when it came to providing speakers for conferences, authors for articles in Sheep Dairy News, and later, contacts for the series of Study Tours organised from 1987 onwards. For those who managed to tear themselves away from the day to day routine of farming they were stimulating, proving new ideas as well as an important point of contact between members.

Throughout its history, the BSDA, thanks to Olivia’s contacts and interests, and ably assisted by Keith with his own contacts and expertise, has maintained this international flavour.

The need to improve the Friesland breed, and to extend the range of bloodlines available, was realised, and to this end semen was imported from high quality Swiss rams. In 1994, a MOET programme was developed to spread high performance sheep among members. This was carried out in conjunction with Ian McDougall.

Throughout her 17 years as Honorary Secretary, and despite the onerous commitments of organising study tours, gathering material for Sheep Dairy News, and the organisation of the AGM & Conference, Olivia always found time to discuss and help with member’s problems. Her wide experience as a result of her research, and her attendance at conferences, placed her at the forefront of knowledge in the field of sheep dairying and this information was put at the disposal of members.

The mammoth task of keeping the BSDA going and the changing nature of membership of the association made Olivia feel that the time had come to resign as Secretary, which she did in 2000. Sadly, this was combined with Keith’s resignation as Hon. Editor of Sheep Dairy News. Olivia’s wish was to find time to continue with her other interests; cheesemaking, farming, horsemanship, and importantly the promotion of research into the beneficial properties of sheep’s milk. Sadly, she had only limited time to pursue these activities.

Since Olivia resigned in 2000 there have been great changes, inevitably. The repercussions of BSE, foot and mouth and increasing regulation are ongoing. The perennial problems are still there. Nothing has changed, yet everything has changed. It is easy to be submerged under the weight of the problems besetting the farming industry, but while these are important to members’ livelihoods, and cannot be ignored, it is vital to retain the wider view, and understand what is going on in Europe and the rest of the world. We are part of a global industry and we forget this at our peril.

Olivia was buried on the farm on which she was born and lived all her life. Characteristically, she knew exactly where she wished to be buried and her wishes were carried out. She leaves a husband, Yarnton, and two sons, Peter and Oliver. Her funeral, in the open air on a glorious autumn day was attended by many BSDA members, as well as by relatives and friends from other aspects of her life. It was an occasion which noone who attended will forget, and was the conclusion of a full life spent from birth to death at Wield Wood.

Dr. Mary Holbrook