A LETTER REGARDING COCA-COLA'S "PROJECT MOTHER" INITIATIVE
TO DEVELOP COW'S MILK PRODUCTS TARGETING CHILDREN
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20016
February 28, 2001
Trey Paris, Manager
Issues Communication
Global Communications
Coca-Cola Company
P.O. Box 1734
Atlanta, GA 30301
via facsimile: 404-515-6428
Dear Mr. Paris:
I am writing to express the Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine's (PCRM) deep concern over the Coca-Cola Company's proposed
initiative, titled "Project Mother," to develop and market
a line of cow's milk products targeting children. PCRM is a public
interest health advocacy organization supported by more than 5,000
physicians and 100,000 laypersons. One of PCRM's primary missions
is to educate others about the use of diet as a means of preventive
medicine.
Cow's milk is not a healthy food, and efforts aimed at encouraging
children to consume more of this harmful product are definitely
not in the best interests of America's youth. The title of the initiative
shows exactly why this idea should never come to fruition: the implied
presumption that cow's milk is nutritionally similar to and as beneficial
as mother's milk is dangerously incorrect. Breast milk is made up
of just the right amount of vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates,
and fat that a human infant needs. Yet, the same is not the case
when considering human consumption of cow's milk. There are major
differences in the amount of all the nutritional components. For
instance, one cup of human milk has 70 percent less protein, 38
percent more fat, and 47 percent more carbohydrates than cow's milk.
There are also significant contrasts when comparing all other components
of human versus cow's milk, including levels of vitamin C, folic
acid, sodium, iron, and calcium. These differences are significant
in how they affect human health.
Further, there is a reason children are weaned from their mothers
usually by age three—they no longer need milk as a food source.
And they definitely do not need, nor should they consume, cow's
milk. Both clinical and epidemiological evidence shows the significant
harmful effects caused by the consumption of cow's milk before and
after weaning and into adulthood. In children, cow's milk consumption
has been linked to anemia, colic, allergies, asthma, and juvenile-onset
diabetes. In adults, cow's milk consumption is related to heart
disease, prostate cancer, and breast cancer.
Cow's milk proteins can cause the human body to produce antibodies,
which are believed to damage the pancreas, leading to the development
of type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile-onset diabetes. Clinical
studies have borne this out, as have epidemiological studies of
various countries, which show a strong correlation between the use
of dairy products and the incidence of insulin-dependent diabetes.
The milk sugar lactose and its breakdown product galactose have
been linked to increased risk of ovarian cancer. Further, recent
research on diet and cancer focuses on a protein in the bloodstream
called insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). In particular, IGF-I
plays a role in cell growth, among other functions, and test-tube
experiments show that IGF-I encourages cancer cell growth. Although
a certain amount of IGF-I in the blood is normal, high levels are
linked to increased cancer risk. Studies have shown that persons
who consume dairy products have higher levels of IGF-1. Further,
apparently due at least in part to these higher IGF-I levels, consumption
of dairy products has been linked to breast cancer.
Moreover, according to a review published by the World Cancer Research
Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, at least 11
human population studies have linked dairy product consumption and
prostate cancer. Recently, a nested case-control study within the
Physicians' Health Study using prospectively collected serum samples
from 152 prostate cancer cases and an equal number of controls found
that serum IGF-I concentrations were strongly associated with prostate
cancer risk. Also, due in part to the amount and type of fat contained
in dairy products, their consumption is linked to an increased risk
of prostate cancer,
However, the most important issue—simply because it is the
most common reason given to support drinking cow's milk—is
bone health or, in other words, the prevention of osteoporosis.
While it is true that calcium may reduce the risk of osteoporosis,
scientific evidence does not support the claim that cow's
milk consumption as a source of calcium reduces the risk of
osteoporosis. Epidemiological research shows that countries with
the highest incidence of osteoporosis, including the U.S., Sweden,
and Finland, also have the highest dairy consumption rates.
The Harvard Nurses' Health Study, a 12-year prospective study controlled
for age, menopausal status, hormone use, smoking, exercise, and
other factors, which followed 77,761 women aged 34 to 59 years old,
found that increased consumption of dairy calcium provided
no protection against fracture when compared with lower dairy or
calcium intakes. In fact, increased intake of dairy calcium was
actually associated with a slightly, but significantly, higher fracture
risk, and those with the highest intake of dairy calcium had
nearly double the hip fracture risk of those with the lowest intake.
Further, adequate calcium balance, not calcium intake, is the key
to reducing the risk of osteoporosis. As such, many other considerations
are as important, if not more so, than calcium intake, including
sodium intake, physical activity, animal protein intake (which leaches
calcium from the bones), an overall healthy diet, smoking, gender,
race, age, vitamin D status, and calcium absorption rates of food.
For example, a recent study of young women published in the journal
Pediatrics found that bone density was significantly affected
by the amount of physical activity they got in their teen years
while increased calcium intake made no difference. This study is
consistent with previous studies.
Of particular interest concerning the claimed link between cow's
milk and osteoporosis is the fact that the Swiss Federal Health
Ministry recently filed suit to stop a series of milk advertisements
which claim that milk prevents osteoporosis because they are false
and misleading. This case is still pending.
Another health-related issue is lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance
is the natural reduction after weaning of the enzyme lactase needed
to digest the milk sugar lactose, which is present in both human
and cow's milk. Seventy percent of African Americans, 73 percent
of Native Americans, 95 percent of Asian Americans, and 53 percent
of Hispanic Americans are lactose intolerant. Yet, only 15 percent
of Caucasians are lactose intolerant. Consequently, a significant
number of Americans are likely to experience the signs and symptoms
of lactose intolerance—gastrointestinal distress including
abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, and diarrhea—after the
consumption of milk.
As we all know, Coke is one of the most well-marketed products
around the globe. As such, Coca-Cola has an incredible impact on
beverage choices. The development of a new line of truly healthy
beverages—which, by definition, would not include cow's milk—could
go a long way in promoting the good health of consumers and the
financial health of your company.
I hope this information is helpful for you in determining whether
to reshape the Project Mother initiative. As it is likely the dairy
industry will attempt to challenge much of what we say, I strongly
urge you to look into these matters further. Also, if possible,
I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you personally.
I can be reached at 202-686-2210.
Sincerely,
Neal Barnard, M.D.
President
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