Milk producer sued over health claims

‘Til the cows come…to court?

It certainly won’t be the lawsuit that brings down the dairy industry–there will be no films made about the “end days” of milk or news stories about the grocery-store shelves being cleared of anything dairy.

But maybe this class action suit will get the world talking about what’s REALLY wrong with milk.

I hope so, at least…because the reasoning behind it seems pretty nitpicky when you put it up against all of the claims the dairy industry is allowed to tell about milk.

Before I get to that, though, I’ll back up. A class action suit against Dean Foods, the makers of Horizon organic products, was recently filed in Illinois. The lawsuit alleges that a certain health claim made on Horizon’s packaging is not supported by science and therefore is misleading.

So what’s the claim? The claim that milk is the best source of calcium and vitamin D? The claim that it’s good for your bones? The insistence that it “does a body good”?

Nope. It’s “DHA Omega-3 supports brain health.” Which, you know, is true. But the lawsuit takes issue with the fact that this claim is made on a product that contains DHA omega-3 derived from mutated and fermented algae instead of from fish oil.

Okay, I get it–the benefits of DHA omega-3 have been determined through studies of fish oil, not algae. And fish oil is not in this product. Alright.

But come on! If you’re going to take a milk producer to court, there are much bigger fish (which actually have nothing at all to do with fish) to fry.

How about those claims that milk is your best source of vitamin D and calcium?

Nope. I don’t care how many celebrities don that ridiculous milk moustache–slap it on a thousand of them, and it still won’t make this claim true. The food industry started adding vitamin D years ago as a cheap method of protecting against deficiency. And if you’re a regular e-Tips reader, you know that just hasn’t worked. In fact, vitamin D deficiency has skyrocketed.

Instead, put that vitamin-D “fortified” cow juice back on the shelf and go outside for 15 minutes. There’s your best source right there. Certain wavelengths of sunlight (found in ultraviolet B, or UVB, rays) act on a cholesterol derivative in human skin, starting a chain of reactions, which ultimately produce vitamin D.

But hardly anyone gets enough sun these days, and that’s where supplements come in. Dr. Wright recommends 4,000 IU (“International Units”) daily for adults and teenagers, 1,000 IU for infants and small children, and 2,000 IU for everyone in between.

Now I know what you’re probably thinking. “Well, calcium is good for your bones, right–and isn’t milk a great source of calcium?” Absolutely not.

With all of the health problems associated with milk–a short, incomplete list includes allergies, prostate cancer, problems with insulin regulation, and an increased risk of bone fracture in the elderly–it’s just not worth drinking it to get your daily supply of this essential mineral. For that, eat plenty of foods like leafy greens, almonds, salmon, turnip greens, collard greens, blackberries, and mandarin oranges instead.

Why focus on the source of omega 3s when you’ve got serious disease and major health concerns linked to this so-called “health” food? This lawsuit is a start to the conversation, I guess. But I have a feeling it will be a long time before we’re able to change the mainstream’s tune on dairy.

Sources:
“Dean Foods sued for Horizon milk’s health claims,” Chicago Tribune (http://www.chicagotribune.com/)