In Fact, Dairy Products Shown to Reduce Cancer in Many Studies
ROSEMONT, Ill., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Dairy Council(R) and
the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board denounce the new ad launched
today in New York by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM),
an animal rights/vegan organization that attempts to generate news coverage by
posing as a reputable "doctors' group." PCRM's ad misleads viewers on the
current science regarding any possible connection between milk and prostate
cancer. Reputable researchers and health organizations -- including the very
researchers who conducted the research PCRM refers to -- disagree with PCRM's
position on this issue.
In fact, PCRM's views have been repeatedly denounced by the American
Medical Association (AMA), the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), and the
American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), among others.
PCRM's anti-dairy television ad that began running in New York today
demonstrates how closely this group is affiliated with the controversial
activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). PETA
made headlines two weeks ago with its billboard ads on the same subject.
As the national media has reported several times since last April, the
Physicians Health Study referred to by PCRM in the ad is a preliminary,
observational study that does not show a cause-and-effect link between dairy
products and prostate cancer. The Harvard researchers warn against using the
study to encourage changes in eating habits, and wrote in their April press
release, "It's far too early to recommend any extreme change in eating
habits." In fact, the authors clearly state that more research is needed, and
they acknowledge limitations in their study.
In a conference two weeks ago sponsored by the American Institute for
Cancer Research, nutrition experts said messages suggesting that milk causes
prostate cancer are not supported by solid scientific evidence. "The claim
that milk and milk products increase the risk of prostate cancer is a serious
abuse of the scientific data to date," John D. Potter of Seattle's Fred
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center told the Washington Post
(Sept. 1, 2000, page A09). In this same article, one of the researchers from
the Physicians Health Study was quoted as saying, "Nobody that I know who
worked on that particular project is willing to...say we should restrict dairy
intake to prevent prostate cancer."
The National Cancer Institute also stepped forward last month to denounce
PETA's use of some of the same information that PCRM is recycling into its
current campaign. PCRM and PETA's strategy is clearly to generate as much
media coverage on an animal rights agenda based on little fact and no actual
news.
Moreover, other recent studies have shown that the nutrients in milk and
dairy products are effective in reducing the risk of certain types of cancers.
Dairy's role in preventing osteoporosis, in strengthening bones and providing
calcium, vitamin D and seven other essential nutrients has long been
established and lauded by the nutrition and science community, including the
American Dietetic Association (ADA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
(NICHD) and many other reputable health organizations, from whom people should
get their nutrition and health information and not animal rights activists.
More information on the latest scientific research regarding dairy
products is available on-line at http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org .
SOURCE National Dairy Council
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Related links:
http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org
CONTACT:
Sue Markgraf of National Dairy Council,
847-803-2000, ext. 229, pager, 888-902-4028, or Susan Ruland of
MilkPEP, 202-220-3549
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