As communications director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, I'd like to correct some false statements made about our organization in a recent letter (“Yes, dairy does have a place in a healthy diet,” Jan. 14).

PCRM is an independent non-profit research and advocacy organization with more than 6,000 physician members. PCRM's president, Neal Barnard, M.D., is a respected nutrition researcher and member of the American Medical Association (AMA).

In 2004, the AMA passed a resolution that rescinded its long-ago objections to PCRM's efforts to educate the public about the health benefits of a vegetarian diet.

It is now widely accepted that vegan diets are safe and effective for weight control, disease prevention, and overall health.

The American Dietetic Association has stated that “well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence.”

And in the fall of 2007, the AMA called for a new emphasis on vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, vegetarian foods, and healthful non-dairy beverages in school lunches and food assistance programs through the Farm Bill.

More and more health care professionals are questioning the role of cow's milk in the human diet.

That may not please the dairy industry, but Americans deserve to know that vegan diets are nutritious and healthy.

Patrick Sullivan

Washington, D.C.

Sullivan is communications director at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.