Milk drinkers may be gulping down future health problems

Milk might not do a body good

Milk. It does a body good, say some -- it does a body bad, say others.

Organizations such as the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine claim that the food guide pyramid suggests too much dairy consumption for adults. Additionally, the Washington, D.C.-based group is concerned that the Department of Agriculture, which establishes the nutritional guidelines, is influenced by lobbyists for the dairy industry, said Kathy Savory, outreach coordinator for the PCRM.

With claims of near-political conspiracy on one side, and accusations that research is unsubstantiated and merely connected to animal rights groups on the other, young adults being targeted by the dairy industry may not know who to believe, if they are even listening.

But the issue is not so much about politics -- it is about health. And whether or not you've "got milk," you may not know what you're getting when you drink it.

"We know, particularly with women, that we need more calcium as we age," said Larry Muller, professor of dairy science.

The dairy industry and many nutritionists promote milk as a prime source of calcium to prevent osteoporosis, but research suggests the opposite is true.

Studies comparing the diets of different countries reveal that the higher the dairy intake, the higher the rates of osteoporosis, said T. Colin Campbell, Jacob Schurman professor of nutritional biochemistry, an endowed chair at Cornell University.

Osteoporosis is believed to be related to calcium deficiency, but people are not looking at the whole picture, Campbell said.

"The best way to prevent osteoporosis is through activity," said Dr. Mark Clukey, a chiropractor in State College, who also said dairy is not the best source of calcium.

In addition to animal protein, caffeine and alcohol steal calcium from the body, Savory said.

Nutritionists across the board seem to agree that certain substances, such as the phosphorous in carbonated beverages, deplete the body's store of calcium. However, some have no doubt that milk is the best bet to combat calcium deficiency.

"I absolutely think milk is part of a healthy diet for adults," said Claudia Probart, associate professor of nutrition at the University, who said the calcium in milk is more absorbable than in other foods.

In societies where osteoporosis rates and dairy intake are lower, there are many lifestyle variations, such as more physical activity, which contribute to the different disease rates, Probart said.

"In our society, it's very difficult to eliminate one food group and get what you need elsewhere," she said.

Despite the difficulty involved with changing a culture whose diet includes a lot of dairy, the China-Cornell-Oxford-Project on Nutrition, Health and Environment, a study done by Campbell and others in 1991, suggests that such a change is critical, Campbell said.

In the study, which examined why certain forms of cancer are more prevalent in certain areas of the world, findings indicated that dairy products contribute to the "diseases of affluence" found predominately in Western societies.

Such studies have connected breast cancer to the hormones given to cows, said Monica Ziegler, a wellness counselor at Be Well Associates, 510 Fairway Rd., who advises people to reduce their dairy consumption and replace it with other sources of calcium.

But Thomas Palchak, manager of the University Creamery, 12 Borland Lab, said research indicating that dairy is bad is not sound science.

"That's a bunch of hocus-pocus," Palchak said, adding that such information is usually coming from animal rights groups.

Probart said she would prefer that extra hormones were not added to dairy products, but said she has not seen data connecting the hormones used in cows to breast cancer.

Ultimately, it becomes a philosophical and cultural issue, Campbell said. While it seems that humans have always consumed the milk of other species, Greek philosophers wrote about the negative implications of consuming animal products. With the advent of Christianity, people adapted the belief that humans were at the top of the chain of beings, he explained.

"I think the future of the dairy industry is not bright," Campbell said.

The picture is complicated, said Cheryl Achterberg, professor of nutrition.

"There is varying information and we don't know all the answers," Achterberg said, adding that adults in this country should utilize dairy unless they really know how to supplement their diet.

With so much contradictory information, Clukey said the issue needs to be looked into more before government funds continue to promote the dairy industry.

"Different people have different needs," Zeigler said, "and you have to tune into your body and figure out what feels best."