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News Alert Archives
Case Study of "Junk Science"
Further fueling misinformation to media and consumers are activists like the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The PCRM and PETA have been conducting a systematic and misleading anti-milk campaign to further their own animal rights and vegan agendas. These groups inappropriately interpret observational research to make bogus food and health claims promoted on the Internet to unnecessarily scare millions of consumers.
PCRM and PETA promote the results of one observational study, the Harvard Nurses' Health Study, while ignoring a whole body of stronger evidence to the contrary. Based on this study, they inaccurately claim that increased intake of calcium from dairy products is associated with a higher fracture risk. Most scientists will tell you that, based on the totality of the evidence, exactly the opposite is true.
According to a comprehensive review of the research published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition by prominent calcium researcher, Robert P. Heaney, MD, of Creighton University in Omaha, a diet devoid of dairy products could lead to bone fractures. Dr. Heaney reviewed 138 studies exploring the relationship between bone health and calcium intake, including numerous studies that used dairy products as the calcium source. "The scientific evidence is overwhelming that lifelong calcium intake is one of the most significant factors determining your risk of an osteoporotic fracture," Heaney said.
Heaney also points out the limitations of the Harvard Nurses' Health Study. "For starters, this study is entirely inconclusive because the researchers did not control the subjects' calcium intake, but merely asked them about it. Any study using food questionnaires should be viewed with caution. This assessment tool is imperfect at best. Nevertheless, despite the many weaknesses of observational studies, fully three-fourths of all such studies have been positive - an indication of just how strong the connection between calcium and bone health really is," said Dr. Heaney. Source: Heaney, RP: Calcium, dairy products and osteoporosis. J Am College Nutr 2000; (suppl).
Dairy products are not the only targets of junk science. Nomorescares cites these other examples:
National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in 1989 released a report linking alar, a chemical growth regulator used on apples, with cancer. But the report's science was faulty and not reviewed by independent experts before its release.
A scare campaign pointed to the danger of phthalates, chemicals used to make plastic flexible for products such as IV bags, teethers, nipples and toys. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop later chaired a committee to investigate the claims and found no associated health risk.
A campaign on behalf of the NRDC declared that swordfish were an endangered species and that restaurants had banned it from their menus. The federal government never classified swordfish as endangered.
You can rely on the National Dairy Council for credible,
up-to-date news on dairy nutrition research, public policies on nutritional
issues and special dairy nutrition campaigns. Please browse the
News Alert archives or use the search located above the left hand
navigation for more information. If you can't find what you are looking for or
have additional questions, please contact our Nutrition & Health News
Bureau via phone at 312-240-2880 or via e-mail at
ndc@dairyinformation.com.
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