Truth-check: IIT Madras director V. Kamakoti’s feedback on cow urine

The story up to now: On January 15, IIT-Madras director V. Kamakoti stated peer-reviewed journals had substantiated the medicinal properties of cow urine. He was talking at a goshala in West Mambalam in Chennai, on the event of ‘Mattu Pongal’, a festive event devoted to cattle. In a media interplay 5 days later, Dr. Kamakoti listed 5 scientific papers that he stated validated the “anti-infective” properties of cow urine.

His statements have since gone viral on social media whilst many questioned his claims and deemed his observations to be unscientific and inappropriate as the pinnacle of a scientific establishment. In addition they drew the ire of Tamil Nadu Congress chief Ok. Selvaperunthagai, who stated he’s unfit to proceed because the director of IIT Madras.

Nature v. Nature Scientific Experiences

One paper titled ‘Peptide profiling in cow urine reveals molecular signature of physiology-driven pathways and in-silico predicted bioactive properties’ was revealed on June 14, 2021, within the journal Nature Scientific Experiences. Opposite to Dr. Kamakoti, Nature and Nature Scientific Experiences are two totally different journals. “The researchers have experimented and introduced their findings. Nature is without doubt one of the prime journals in the USA of America. The output within the analysis papers is the proof,” he had stated.

Impartial specialists stated the analysis article itself “doesn’t appear unhealthy” however that it’s simply an evaluation of bovine urine. “Authors say that there are a whole lot of research of peptides in human urine, however not a lot work has been completed within the case of bovine urine,” Aniket Sule, affiliate professor on the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Training in Mumbai, advised The Hindu.

“There are additionally comparable research about donkey urine. Primarily, all mammals move some peptides of their urine and people peptides give a whole lot of indications in regards to the well being of that particular person. That can also be the explanation why we do urine evaluation in pathology labs. So, they’re simply presenting their evaluation of bovine urine. There isn’t a declare past that.”

Dr. Sule added that there have been papers from China discussing using cow dung as fertiliser. “Nonetheless, growing a fertiliser from mammal urine/excreta is a distinct factor from human consumption of urine/excreta,” he stated. Dr. Sule quoted the instance of US President Donald Trump asking scientists in his first time period, in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, to the alleged advantages of consuming bleach.

“Simply because bleach is anti-bacterial on the ground doesn’t imply it’s medicinal for people,” Dr. Sule stated.

Gautam Menon, dean of analysis and professor of physics and biology at Ashoka College in Sonipat, stated the paper is “completely cheap scientific work, though whether or not it’s attention-grabbing or not is one other matter”.

“Checking antibiotic results on two customary bacterial species is a typical factor to do. Their consequence shouldn’t be significantly stunning neither is it claimed to be,” he added.

‘Consumption of any urine is harmful’

The second paper Dr Kamakoti referred to was entitled ‘Advantages of cow urine’ and revealed within the Worldwide Journal of Current Advances in Multidisciplinary Analysis on September 29, 2017.

The paper critiques earlier analysis articles describing the medicinal advantages of cow urine, a type of analysis known as a meta-analysis. In response to the paper, “Many researches have even be completed, which exhibits its use for therapy of pores and skin ailments, abdomen ailments, kidney ailments, coronary heart ailments, stones, diabetes, liver downside, jaundice, athlete’s ft, cyst, haemorrhoid, and so on. and present its immunostimulant, bioenhencer, anticonvulsant, anti-cancerous, wound-healing, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties.”

The summary of the examine concludes by calling for extra public consciousness of the significance of cow urine.

Nonetheless, Dipshikha Chakravortty, professor on the division of microbiology and cell biology on the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, stated in an e mail to The Hindu, “Consumption of any urine is detrimental and harmful, together with wholesome particular person urine. Urine incorporates resident micro organism, and that may be detrimental.”

She added that there have been reviews of varied kinds of urine containing micro organism that could possibly be pathogenic.

The prevalence of grammatical and typographical errors within the paper point out the journal’s editors didn’t copy-edit it earlier than publishing, a typical symptom – albeit not a conclusive one – of low-quality publishers.

A examine of cow urine

In 2022, Bhoj Roj Singh, who lately retired because the epidemiology head on the Indian Veterinary Analysis Institute, Bareilly, led a examine that confirmed the undesirability of people consuming cow urine. Within the examine, the workforce discovered that recent urine from cows and bulls incorporates a minimum of 14 kinds of dangerous micro organism, together with Escherichia coli. The examine additionally reported that urine can’t inhibit bacterial development.

“In case one will get contaminated from the micro organism, [the infections] can result in life-threatening infections, significantly amongst these shoppers who’re already sick or have weak immune programs,” Dr. Singh stated.

He additionally stated proponents of consuming cow urine had criticised the examine for utilizing recent urine whereas they advocated the consumption of urine distillates. His lab subsequently analysed these distillates in addition to packaged urine discovered available in the market.

“We reported these too to be dangerous and stuffed with microbes (no-quality management practiced). Furthermore, the antimicrobial exercise detected might hardly be of any therapeutic utility because it might not be possible to devour such a lot of urine safely to get its antibacterial motion in our our bodies,” he stated.

A 3rd paper Dr. Kamakoti invoked, known as ‘Miraculous Advantages of Cow Urine: A Evaluation’, was revealed in August 2020 within the Journal of Drug Supply and Therapeutics. The paper’s summary states, “Cow urine is a divine drugs and is used for therapy of diabetes, blood strain, bronchial asthma, psoriasis,” and varied different circumstances, together with most cancers and AIDS. It additionally claims cow urine can remedy migraines, whose aetiology shouldn’t be totally understood.

When requested about this examine, Dr Singh was forthright: “It’s not a analysis paper however a selective overview/compilation from conventional literature or beliefs with none evidence-based scientific examine.”