Health charity rejects claims that ditching milk “stunts infant growth’
Health charity, the Viva Health vehemently rejects claims that pregnant mothers who avoid drinking milk during pregnancy risk “stunting the growth of their baby”. The claims were made following a study recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, which found that women who consumed less than one cup of milk per day gave birth to infants who weighed less than those who consumed more. “The study in question was far from impartial as it was part-funded by the Dairy Farmers of Canada,” says health campaigner Amanda Woodvine, of Vival Health. “What has also remained unreported is the negligible differences in birth weight which were found in the study. The average infant birth weight of the group making minimal use of milk was still a perfectly healthy 7lbs 8 oz, and no differences were found in these babies’ head circumferences or lengths. We really have to question the dairy industry’s tactics of trying to frighten women into drinking their product! “Babies can develop perfectly well without milk so perhaps our attention should be turned to the dangers facing the one-quarter of under 11s in England who are overweight. Even mild obesity in children can lead to higher blood pressure, insulin and cholesterol levels which track into adulthood to some degree. When researchers followed more than 12,000 children for three years recently, it was those who drank the most milk that gained the most weight.”
For further information on vegetarian diets for children and adults alike, or to order a copy of the Viva Health’s scientific report, Safeguarding Children’s Health: Defeating Disease Through Vegetarian/Vegan Diets, contact Amanda Woodvine on 0117 970 5190.
Footnote to editors: Viva Health is a health charity which scientifically investigates the links between diet and health. Reference: Berkey, C.S., Rockett, H.R., Willett, W.C. and Colditz, G.A. 2005. Milk, dairy fat, dietary calcium, and weight gain: a longitudinal study of adolescents. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 159 (6) 543-50.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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