Good Medicine (Summer 1999), a publication of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), reports that milk slows down recovery from bowel surgery. A study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons found that, in recovering from comparable surgery, a dairy-free diet cut the incidence of diarrhea from 32% to 5%, shortened the recovery from 10 days to 7, and cut hospital costs from $10,337 to $6,751.

PCRM has been challenging U.S. government dietary guidelines on the basis of racial discrimination and bias, charging that the animal foods included in its guidelines have disproportionate adverse effects on minorities. They cite higher incidence of lactose intolerance in African-Americans, Native Americans, and Americans of Hispanic and Asian descent. Also, chronic diseases such as diabetes, which are more common on a diet including animal foods, are more prevalent among minorities. PCRM also has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission about health claims in the "milk mustache" ads, and has uncovered links between meat and dairy industry trade groups and such supposedly disinterested health organizations as the American Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association. For more information, contact PCRM, 5100 Wisconsin St. N.W., Suite 404, Washington, D.C. 20016 (ph. 202-686-2210; fax 202-686-2216; website www.pcrm.org).