Head of Expert Panel for 2005 Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid Weighs in on Milk

The spinning has begun! Janet King, PhD., wrote an editorial in the May issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, which is a blatant attempt to admonish herself from any blame or criticism that has come with the release of 2005 Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid. Her arguments for milk are feeble, her arguments against milk are telling, and most exciting is what she does not say.

Dr. King was nominated by the Wheat Foods Council to chair the expert science panel that recommended to the USDA what dietary advice should be included in the new Dietary Guidelines and Food Guide Pyramid. The fact that she published an editorial on the heels of MyPyramid release should come as no surprise.

What is astonishing is that Dr. King, a nutrition expert, uses potassium as her major defense for drinking milk. She says that the increase to 3 cups per day was done to help Americans meet their recommended potassium intake. Any dietitian can tell you that potassium is easy to get in our diet. In fact, there are many foods far richer in potassium than milk. Depending on the fat percentage in milk, potassium content can range anywhere from 371mg - 407mg per 8 oz. glass. One large baked potato packs 1630mg of potassium; sweet potato 400mg; 6 oz. V-8 juice 620 mg; 3 o.z chicken breast 210 mg; banana 467mg; 1/4 cup raisins 310 mg. You get the picture...potassium is a bountiful nutrient in a wide variety of foods.

What we find extremely exciting is that Dr. King never mentions calcium, which has been the Dairy Council's calling card. The absence of calcium speaks volumes to what many experts now believe, that calcium from milk is not an optimal source.

Suprisingly, Dr. King mentions that milk does not create weight loss, which is contrary to another marketing ploy the Dairy Council is forcing down our throats in their "3-a-Day" campaign.

Her argument that lactose intolerance is not as big of an issue as we believe, is weak. I guess the World Health Organization stating that 62% of the world is lactose intolerant, all the top geneticists in the world conclude that milk is contraindicated genetically in humans, and that milk is the number one allergen in the United States, is no big deal.

The fact that Dr. King discusses the risk of prostate cancer from increased milk consumption and the carcinogenic effects of high estrogen content in milk should raise eyebrows.

What is most pitiful is that Dr. King makes a measly ten reference effort to back up her opinion. The geneticists whose study confirmed that milk and dairy are contraindicated genetically in humans, had hundreds.

Bonnie