Dairy Industry Seeks Dietary Guideline Changes

March 13, 2000

USDA’s proposed dietary guidelines "miss the mark on some key points" regarding dairy products and lactose intolerance, says a consultant to the dairy industry. Lactose intolerance is not a reason to avoid dairy foods, says Natalie Webb, president of Nutrition Network, Inc.

Webb submitted written and oral comments to USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services. She said if a person is lactose intolerant, there is no need to eliminate dairy foods. "Lactose intolerance doesn’t mean dairy intolerance," she said. "This distinction is a critical one. Cutting out dairy products is a radical approach and will only add to our current problem of widespread calcium deficiencies in this country."

She added, "Many lactose intolerant individuals enjoy dairy products, and there are easily solutions for people to include this valuable food group in their diets. It may mean simply drinking smaller amounts of milk with meals, eating yogurt with active cultures, eating aged cheeses that have little lactose or buying lactose-free milk which is widely available."

The guideline "choose and prepare foods with less salt" includes a box listing lifestyle recommendations to maintain normal blood pressure and prevent hypertension. "Although the document describes an integrated approach of current dietary and lifestyle changes related to blood pressure, it fails to mention the recommendation to consume adequate calcium, magnesium and potassium," said Suzanne Craig, director of nutrition and health, National Dairy Council.

"These results are from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Trial which demonstrated that a combination diet low in fat and rich in low-fat dairy foods, fruits and vegetables significantly reduced blood pressure. It is a serious oversight to not mention low-fat dairy foods along with fruits and vegetables as part of the recommendation," she said.