Interesting

[Guest guest]

She has made her name as a vociferous campaigner against landmines and the

fur trade, but this week Heather Mills McCartney will warn of a danger lurking

closer to home - the humble British pinta.

 

At an event organised by the Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation, the wife of Sir

Paul McCartney, the former Beatle, will call for milk to be dropped from the

nation's diet.

 

Mills McCartney, 38, who credits a dairy-free, vegan diet with helping her to

overcome a post-operative infection following the amputation of a leg, will

share a platform with academics who claim that dairy products can cause cancer.

 

The experts will include Prof Jane Plant, a geochemist, who fought breast

cancer three times and went into remission after giving up dairy produce, and

the

nutritionist Prof Colin T Campbell, who has carried out research into the

effect of diet on health in China.

 

Other nutritionists and the National Osteoporosis Society say that dairy

produce is a crucial source of calcium and many doctors already worry about a

lack

of calcium in teenagers, citing the popularity of celebrity " fad " diets where

dairy produce is eschewed.

 

There are concerns that cutting out milk will deprive people of the nutrients

required to build healthy bones. Trevor Reid, of the society, said: " Anything

that is encouraging teenagers to take calcium out of their diet is a concern.

We know that eating dairy products is one of the best ways of getting calcium

into your body. "

 

Mills McCartney will appear at the event entitled Why You Don't Need Dairy,

on Wednesday. Dr Justine Butler, of the foundation, said: " The hormone content

of cows' milk is not what it was 100 years ago. Perhaps this is why breast

cancer has risen 80 per cent since 1971. "

 

Dr Lesley Walker, of Cancer Research UK, said: " Several studies have tried to

find out if drinking milk affects cancer risk, but these have been

inconclusive. We recommend a balanced diet, high in fibre, with plenty of fruit

and

vegetables. "