FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, November 7, 2002

Contact:
Simon Chaitowitz
tel: 202-686-2210, ext. 309; simonc@pcrm.org

Nutritionists Praise Town for Rejecting “Got Milk?” Name Change
Dairy Consumption Contributes to Prostate Cancer, Health Advocates Say

Washington, D.C.—Biggs, California, made the right decision by rejecting a dairy industry proposal to change its name to “Got Milk?” say nutritionists with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). The group, which educates people about the problems associated with dairy consumption, is sending a congratulatory letter to Mayor Sharleta Callaway today. On Monday night, the city council decided against a proposal by the California Milk Processor Board that promised the town publicity and suggested various financial incentives, including a Got Milk museum.

“We are pleased that the people of Biggs have seen through this blatant commercialism,” says PCRM nutrition director Amy Lanou, Ph.D. “Dairy consumption contributes to a whole host of problems, from lactose intolerance, asthma, and allergies to diabetes and a number of cancers. We should encourage people to consume less dairy, not more. In fact, if Biggs had changed its name, and milk consumption had increased in that town, they might have had to consider another name change down the road…to Prostate Cancer, CA.”

As Dr. Lanou explains in her letter to the mayor, 16 research studies link cow’s milk consumption to an increased risk of prostate cancer. With its high-protein, high-fat, and calcium-dense nutrient profile, as well as its hormones and growth factors, milk apparently alters a man’s hormone balance in such a way that cancer cells are more likely to grow and spread. Dr. Lanou’s letter also points out that milk does not prevent osteoporosis, a common claim made by the dairy industry.

For an interview with Dr. Lanou or for more information about the problems with milk consumption, please contact PCRM communications director Ms. Simon Chaitowitz at 202-686-2210, ext. 309 or simonc@pcrm.org.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine, especially good nutrition. PCRM also conducts clinical research studies, opposes unethical human experimentation, and promotes alternatives to animal research.

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