September 14, 2000

The National Dairy Council and the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board have denounced a new ad launched 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, according to the two organizations.

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, they said.

Television ads, which follow up on the controversial "Got Prostate Cancer?" billboard campaign featuring New York City Mayor Giuliani in a milk mustache, began airing Tuesday on New York's WNBC.

"The Giuliani ads sparked outrage and debate, but what's been missing from the controversy is a focus on science," says PCRM president Neal D. Barnard, M.D. "The fact is, carefully conducted research studies do link milk to a higher risk of prostate cancer. Given how common and potentially deadly this disease is, we want to make sure men who consume dairy products realize they may be putting themselves at added danger."

The 30 and 15second ads feature PCRM member Joel Fuhrman, M.D., who PCRM says is a boardcertified family physician and author who also specializes in using nutritional interventions to prevent and reverse disease. In the ads, Dr. Fuhrman cites a recent Harvard study showing that having two and onehalf servings of dairy a day increased men's prostate cancer risk by more than 30%. The reason, as Dr. Furhman says in the ads, may relate to how dairy products alter a man's hormones. Milkdrinking increases a substance in the blood called insulinlike growth factor (IGFI), which has been linked to higher cancer risk.

However, the dairy groups counter that PCRM's views have been denounced repeatedly by the American Medical Association (AMA), the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), and the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), among others.

The Physicians Health Study referred to by PCRM in the ad is a preliminary, observational study that does not show a causeandeffect link between dairy products and prostate cancer, the dairy organizations argue. 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.

By placing the ads, PCRM is hoping to raise public awareness about the potential risks associated with dairy consumption. "Healthconscious families who already avoid tobacco and meat may well want to consider trading dairy products for healthier fare," says Barnard.