Follow Up:

Last August Discover reported that dairy products might have adverse health effects [see August 2000, p. 44]. More than a year later, the debate continues. In response to a petition by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine regarding the "got milk?" ad campaigns, a USDA panel suggested that milk ads should note that "risks may be associated with whole milk consumption" among groups at high risk for prostate cancer or heart disease. And a recent metastudy of dairy products' influence on bone strength came up inconclusive, while a follow-up study from the Physicians Health Study supported the link to prostate cancer. Other studies suggest that low-fat dairy products might reduce blood pressure and the risk of colon cancer, leaving health claims for milk ambiguous.