Nathaniel Mead

It has long been thought that cow's milk contributes to good health. In the following viewpoint, Nathaniel Mead argues that the reported health benefits from milk have mostly been advertising fiction and that milk consumption leads to health problems that include asthma, allergies, appendicitis, and ovarian cancer. Mead, a former dairy farmer, is the author of Udder Nonsense: Why Milk Is No Longer Required or Recommended.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Why have advertisers been so successful in promoting milk consumption, according to the author?
2. What harmful effects do dairy products have on children, according to Mead?
3. What factors does Mead cite that determine whether or not milk will become a health problem"

Asked what single change in the American diet would produce the greatest health benefit, Washington, D.C.-based pediatrician...