The "Notmilk Man," Robert Cohen, addressed topics of milk and its health effects last night to an audience of non-milk advocators and also listeners not so quick to accept that milk is such a horrible thing.

Cohen is the author of the book MILK — The Deadly Poison and is executive director of the Dairy Education Board and manages the Web site www.notmilk.com.

He started his anti-dairy movement in 1994 due to some effects milk was having on him.

"Seventy-five percent of the human population cannot tolerate lactose," Cohen said.

A human's stomach should have a pH level of 1.8, Cohen added. When one drinks a glass of milk, the pH level rises to 6.0. Cohen's is concerned that milk deters food from being readily digested.

"Milk takes away the stomach's ability of what it should do," Cohen said.

Students studying animal and food science filled the front row of the classroom equipped with ice cream and milk.

"I am a little upset that the dairy people didn't bring Ben and Jerry's," Cohen said.

Cohen spoke of concerns of the safety of dairy products and the link of milk to cancer, protein and attention deficit disorder (ADD) in children.

"Out of all of my discoveries the one I probably will be most remembered for or cursed for is IGF-I," Cohen said.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) has been called a key factor in prostate cancer, breast cancer and lung cancer. The levels of IGF-I increase in milk from recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH) that is injected into some dairy cows.

Cohen mentioned that Denmark, Holland and Sweden have the highest rate of bone disease — which can be linked to osteoporosis — because of their high intakes of calcium from milk.

Cohen attributes an addictive protein in cow's milk as the cause that 20 percent of children are diagnosed with ADD. He added that no children under the age of one should drink whole milk.

Alec Clevenger (graduate-mathematics) is a vegan and member of the Alliance for Animal Rights. He stood with his organization and a dancing milk carton outside of University Gates yesterday attracting people to the speech. Many people in the Alliance that follow the vegan lifestyle not only do it for health reasons, Clevenger said, but for ethical reasons as well.

"Even if milk were easy on cows, it is still very unhealthy," Clevenger said.

However there was another outspoken side to the non-milk issue.

"Thousands of generations of dairy farmers have been producing milk until people like him come along," said Amie Shelley (junior-animal science). "No one that I know has died early from drinking milk."

Robyn Stephens (senior-sociology) agreed with most of the speech in regards to vegetarianism.

"If you doubt what he says, try it," she said.

Stephens is a vegan and believes the lifestyle has enhanced her energy and strengthened her immune system.

Some former dairy workers were not tolerant of the speech.

"I am adamant about it. The man has no degree in science. His studies aren't approved. I have been drinking milk for 22 years with no problems," Heidi Finicle (senior-animal science) said.

The Alliance for Animal Rights sponsored the speech.