Milk's Weight Loss Link Disdained

WASHINGTON - Jun 17/05 - SNS -- Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) are running advertisements in USA Today and elsewhere this week challenging claims in "milk mustache" ads that milk helps individuals lose weight.

The campaign specifically targets appearances by American television psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw in ads which state: "Dr. Phil: Get Real. Milk Does Not Cause Weight Loss."

The PCRM says scientific studies clearly show that adding dairy products to the diet does not result in weight loss. If anything, consuming milk is more likely to result in weight gain. The only studies showing weight loss with dairy were conducted by a single experimenter who was paid by the dairy industry and used questionable research methods.

"Dairy ads with Dr. Phil's famous face and health-conscious image have unfortunately misled consumers," says Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D., PCRM's senior nutrition scientist. "The scientific evidence against the 'dairy diet' theory is overwhelming. It's time for Dr. Phil to take a stand against this false health claim."

PCRM has corresponded privately with Dr. Phil and asked him to set the record straight. In addition to the ad, first appearing in USA Today, PCRM is also launching a new Web site- http://www.GetRealAboutMilk.org-that details the scientific evidence showing that there is no association between consuming dairy products and losing weight.

Two recent studies, one at the University of Vermont and the other at Purdue University, found no significant difference in weight loss between people consuming a high-dairy diet and those consuming a low-dairy diet. In the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, a study of dairy consumption among 12,000 children concluded that the more milk children drank, the more weight they gained. The study's lead author called the dairy industry's claims "misleading."

PCRM recently filed a petition asking the Federal Trade Commission to halt the Dr. Phil ads and other dairy industry advertising falsely suggesting that milk causes weight loss. PCRM has also asked the Food and Drug Administration to put an end to such claims.