5000 Doctors can't be wrong

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January 28, 2000

Web posted at: 4:44 PM EST (2144 GMT)

 

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) -- A health lobbying group lost a court bid to block

publication of proposed new federal dietary guidelines but said on Friday it

would proceed with an earlier suit alleging the new " food pyramid " document is

racially biased.

 

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), which advocates a

vegetarian diet, filed a motion in U.S. District Court earlier this week seeking

to block the release of a government panel's recommendations on official dietary

guidelines.

 

But U.S. District Judge James Robertson denied the motion for a preliminary

injunction, said Mindy Kursban, staff lawyer for PCRM.

 

" We were disappointed, " she said in a telephone interview, but added that the

motion had been a " long shot.... We anticipated this was a possible result and

will proceed forward. "

 

Dilemma over diary (sic)

 

In December the nonprofit advocacy group, which includes 5,000 doctors, sued the

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) claiming that special health needs of

minority Americans were being ignored in the guidelines, which list dairy

products as the primary source of calcium.

 

The group says about 90 percent of Asians, 70 percent of African Americans and

Native Americans, and 15 percent of whites have difficulty digesting lactose.

 

The PCRM says the guidelines are racially biased.

 

The current dietary and health recommendations, adopted in 1980, are widely used

by doctors, nutritionists and food makers. They are the basis of the well-known

USDA " food pyramid " used to teach children healthy eating habits.

 

An advisory panel appointed by USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS) is working to update the guidelines, which are expected to be

issued by May.

 

A draft technical report by the panel is expected to be issued by the end of

January, a USDA spokeswoman said.

 

Guideline specifics

 

An early version of the draft, obtained by Reuters, does list dairy products as

the first possible source of calcium, but the second source is tofu and the

third is soy beverages made with added calcium. Green, leafy vegetables are last

on the list.

 

It offers 10 guidelines that urge people to adapt the " food pyramid " to their

own needs, eat safe food, maintain a healthy body weight, exercise and eat a

varied diet, including plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

 

It also advises eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol -- but points

out that people need some fat and suggests eating a diet moderate in overall

fat. It tells people to " go easy " on sugary drinks, to reduce salt, and to drink

alcohol only in moderation.

 

 

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