>Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 12:22:47 -0400
>From: Teresa VanWagner <[log in to unmask]>
>Organization: VanWagner Dairy
>To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: More milk bashing
>Sender: [log in to unmask]
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>
>>From today's Chicago Sun-Times
>
>Spock book reverses his support for milk
>
>April 27, 1998
>
>BY JIM RITTER HEALTH REPORTER
>
>Generations of parents have nagged their children to drink plenty of milk,
but
>now America's leading child care guide is warning that milk can do more harm
>than good.
>
>In the upcoming revised edition of the influential Baby and Child Care, Dr.
>Benjamin Spock wrote: ``I no longer recommend dairy products after the age of
>two years.''
>
>The seventh edition of the perennial best seller will be published
Saturday, on
>what would have been Spock's 95th birthday. Spock died March 15.
>
>In the book's 1992 edition, Spock had advised parents to give their
children the
>equivalent of three or four cups of milk a day.
>
>Most dietitians and doctors still recommend milk for most children.
>
>``It's such a good source of calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus, which are all
>real important for growing bones,'' said Joanna Schiferl, a Michael Reese
>Hospital dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.
>
>Calcium is the main building block of bones and teeth. Eating sufficient
amounts
>in childhood protects against bone-crippling osteoporosis in old age.
>
>In the typical American diet, the richest sources of calcium are dairy
products.
>But Spock recommends children get calcium from foods such as dried figs,
tofu,
>broccoli, soybeans and collards. These foods are packed with vitamins, iron,
>complex carbohydrates and fiber, which are generally lacking in cow's milk,
>Spock and co-author Dr. Steven
>Parker wrote.
>
>However, ``Kids won't consume those products,'' said Dr. William Wittert, a
>pediatrician at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.
>
>Spock had been critical of milk in statements to the media. But the new
edition
>marks the first time he attacked milk in his influential book. These are
among
>the problems with milk he cites:
>
>Allergies and lactose intolerance. A small percentage of children are
allergic
>to milk, and dietitians say they shouldn't drink it. But many people confuse
>milk allergies with lactose intolerance, which causes bloating and diarrhea.
>
>Lactose intolerance is most common among Asians and African Americans. It's
>caused by a lack of lactase, an enzyme in the small intestine needed to
digest
>lactose, the sugar in milk. People with lactose intolerance can cut down on
>regular milk or drink milk to which lactase has been added, Schiferl said.
>
>Iron deficiency. Spock and other experts worry that milk can cause iron
>deficiency because calcium interferes with iron absorption.
>
>But the body adjusts by increasing its iron absorption, said Dr. Robert
Heaney,
>a clinical nutritionist at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb. Heaney, a
>scientific adviser to the ``milk mustache'' ad campaign, added that recent
>studies have found no iron deficiency in milk drinkers.
>
>Fat. Many dairy products are loaded with saturated fats ``that encourage
artery
>blockage and weight problems as children grow,'' Spock wrote. Dietitians say
>parents can minimize fat by serving skim milk, low-fat cheese and fat-free
>yogurt. But Spock recommends nondairy alternatives such as rice milk and
soy ice
>cream.
>
>``If you are using cow's milk in your family, I would encourage you to give
>these alternatives a try,'' Spock wrote.
>
>--
>
>Teresa VanWagner, VanWagner Dairy
>P. O. Box 909, Sparr, FL 32192
>Visit VanWagner Dairy at:  http://atlantic.net/~vwd
>Join the action at *Dairy Action* at:  http://www.digital.net/milk
>...................................................................
>
>