Mad Cow Disease: Are The Risks Real?The true name for Mad Cow Disease is Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE for short). This is a neurodegenerative disease effecting cattle. There is no cure and it is fatal. BSE causes spongy degeneration of brain tissue and the spinal cord. No breed is exempt from its effects. It has an incubation period of four years. The long incubation period adds to difficulty in tracking the source. An animal would consume a lot of food in four years. 
Where does BSE come from?Well... It comes from infected meat meal or bone meal that is then fed to animals. But, wait a minute here... Aren't cows herbivorous? Absolutely, they are. Cows naturally eat plants. Alright. So, why would they be fed animal by-products? The answer is.. To increase dietary protein. Now, here's where it gets interesting... You see, the meat and bones used were obtained from dead animals. These animals were injured or even diseased. Does it seem logical to use diseased animals for feed? Not to me. Fortunately, this is no longer permitted. So we have sick animals, but how do the humans get sick? Eating the meat of infected animals is believed to be the cause. In humans the disease we could get is called new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJDor nvCJD). This disease has cost the lives of 171 people as of June 2007. Britain alone has lost 165 people. In humans the disease may not present itself for 10 or more years.
Take a sensible approach and greatly reduce your risks from mad cow disease. Organically raised cattle are not fed animal by-products. After all, cows wouldn't naturally eat meat. Looking for something? Try this handy tool to quickly find it. Return from Mad Cow Disease to Health Related Articles
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