Good Medicine - Autumn 2007

Good Medicine® From the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine / Autumn 2007 / Vol. XVI, No. 4

Illegal ExperimentsPhysicians File Suit Against UCSF

Chandler Residents Take on City over Testing Lab

Health vs. Pork: Congress Debates the Farm Bill

2007 Cancer and Nutrition Symposium

The Latest School Lunch Report Card

PCRM Toxicologists at World Congress in Tokyo

Breast Cancer Survival: The WINS and WHEL Studies

New TV Spots Promote Healthy Vegetarian Diets

� GOOD MEDICINE Autumn 2007

Editorial


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The epidemic of childhood obesity is worsening day by day. One in six American teenagers is now over-weight, and many more are headed for the same problem. All too soon, cute pudgy kids become adults

burdened by diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and a higher risk of cancer. All these health problems take a disproportionate toll among African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and Native Americans. One contributor is obvious. Step into almost any school lunchroom, and the menu boasts Salisbury steak, sausage pizza, cheeseburgers, and chicken nuggets. If you’re wondering about the lack of healthy vegetarian options, the problem is not in the kitchen. It’s in Washington. Federal law requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to buy up beef, pork, chicken, cheese, and other commodities as a way to remove agricultural surpluses and provide price supports to agribusiness. Schools must serve these foods in order to qualify for federal support. That’s obviously terrible for children. And if you thought this system benefits the small family farmer struggling to make a living, take a look at who benefits from these federal contracts. The following examples come from 2005, the most recent year with complete figures:

• Tyson Foods, the largest meat producer in the U.S., with revenues totaling $26 billion, received $46.6 million in commodity contracts.

• Smithfield Foods, the fourth-largest meat producer, with $11 billion in revenues, scored $18.2 million in contracts through two subsidiaries.

• Pilgrim’s Pride and Hormel are the seventh- and eighth-largest meat producers, respectively. Pilgrim’s Pride pulled in $42.4 million, while Hormel received $28 million in commodity contracts.

In turn, these huge corporations gladly pay the hand that feeds them. Tyson Foods’ executives contribute thousands of dollars to the company’s political action committee, TYPAC, which gives campaign contribu-

tions to the members of the House and Senate agriculture committees, among others. Smithfield Foods does the same. The medical community has awakened to the problem and is calling for sweeping changes. In June, the American Medical Association passed a resolu-tion calling for food assistance programs to be based not on the price of beef or cheese but on health considerations. The AMA also called for these programs to provide vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, vegetarian foods, and healthful nondairy beverages, and asked that federal subsidies encourage the consumption of products low in fat and cholesterol. In August, the President’s Cancer Panel echoed the call (see page 11). This fall, the Senate will consider reforms to food assistance programs as it deliberates on the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007, often called the

“Farm Bill.” Please contact your senators! You can call the U.S. Capitol at 202-224-3121 and tell the operator which state you are calling from. Or log onto www.PCRM.org and click on the icon about federal food policy. Ask your senators to vote for changes to the Farm Bill that put health first. Read them the AMA resolution and insist they take notice.

Childhood obesity and Federal Nutrition Policy

In June, the American Medical Association passed a resolution calling for food assistance programs to be based not on the price of beef or cheese but on health considerations.

NealD.BarNarD,M.D. PresiDeNtofPCrM

Autumn 2007 GOOD MEDICINE �

research issues

6 Illegal Experiments: Physicians File Lawsuit Against UCSF for Violating Animal Welfare Law

7 Animal Welfare Act Violations Across the Country

9 Time to End Blood and Guts Class

Seven Chandler Residents, PCRM Sue City over Animal-Testing Lab

10 PCRM Toxicologists Present Work at World Congress in Tokyo

The Future of Toxicity Testing Is In Vitro

Nutrition and Prevention

11 Health vs. Pork: Congress Debates the Farm Bill

12 PCRM Report Card Reveals School Lunch Disparities

13 PCRM Experts Tackle Cancer and Obesity in Three New Journal Reports

14 New TV Spots Promote Healthy Vegetarian Diets

The Cancer Project

15 Diet Changes Boost Breast Cancer Survival: The WiNS and WHEl Studies

16 The Cancer Project Update: Cancer researchers, Health Professionals Gather for Second Annual Symposium

17 The News You Need

Departments

4 The Latest in...

18 Member Support Making a year-End Gift to PCrM / Meet Fellow PCrM Members

20 PCRM Marketplace

23 Just the Facts

24 Physician Profile roberta S. Gray, M.D.: Working with Children and Animals

CovEr: iSToCkPHoTo

PCRM Doctors and laypersons working together for compassionate

and effective medical practice, research, and health promotion.

ContentsContents


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PCRM Phone Extensions 202-686-2210Health Charities and Research Issues ......................................... ext. 335Literature Requests ................................................................... ext. 306Media ........................................................................................ ext. 316Membership (change of address, duplicate

mailings, renewal questions) ................................................. ext. 304Nutrition ................................................................................... ext. 395

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Good Medicine®FroM THE PHySiCiANS CoMMiTTEE

For rESPoNSiblE MEDiCiNE

AuTuMN 2007 vol. Xvi, No. 4

Editor in Chief Neal D. Barnard, M.D.Managing Editor/Designer Doug Hall

Editor Margaret SouthernAssociate Editor Patrick Sullivan

Contributing Writer Sarah Farr Production Manager Lynne Crane

Web Designer Lisa Schulz

aDVISORY BOaRDT. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. Cornell University

Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D. The Cleveland ClinicSuzanne Havala Hobbs, Dr.P.H., M.S., R.D.

University of North Carolina–Chapel HillHenry J. Heimlich, M.D., Sc.D. The Heimlich Institute

Lawrence Kushi, Sc.D. Kaiser PermanenteJohn McDougall, M.D. McDougall Program

Virginia Messina, M.P.H., R.D. Nutrition Matters, Inc.Milton Mills, M.D. Gilead Medical Group

Myriam Parham, R.D., L.D., C.D.E. East Pasco Medical CenterWilliam Roberts, M.D. Baylor Cardiovascular Institute

andrew Weil, M.D. University of Arizona

Affiliations are listed for identification only.

PCRM STaFF • aysha akhtar, M.D., M.P.H. Senior Medical and Research Adviser • Kyle ash Government Affairs Manager • Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D. Senior Research Scientist • Nancy Beck, Ph.D. Scientific and Policy Adviser • Robin Bernstein, Esq. Legal Fellow • Simon Chaitowitz Senior Communications Specialist • Cael Croft Associate Designer • Claudia Delman, M.P.H. Outreach Manager • Jill Eckart Assistant to the President • Tara Failey Communications Coordinator • Sarah Farr Writer/Information Officer • Claire Gregory, Esq. Associate General Counsel • Katerina Herodotou Legal Assistant • Melanie Hiller Research Program Assistant • Patricia Howard Advertising and PSA Manager • Mark Kennedy, Esq. Attorney • Dan Kinburn, Esq. General Counsel • Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. Dietitian • Katherine Lin Legal Fellow • Lynn Maurer As-sociate Designer • Jeanne Stuart McVey Media Relations Manager • Ryan Merkley Research Program Coordinator • John Pippin, M.D. Senior Medical and Research Adviser • Chad Sandusky, Ph.D. Director of Toxicology and Research • Ximena Savitch Nutrition and Research Assistant • Patty Slowik Nutrition Program Coordinator and Physician Liaison • Edith Sodolo Communications Coordinator • Margaret Southern Web Edi-tor/Staff Writer • Kristie Stoick, M.P.H. Scientific and Policy Advisor • Patrick Sullivan Director of Communications • Caroline Trapp, M.S.N., a.P.R.N., B.C.-aDM, C.D.E. Director of Diabetes Education and Care • Marie Warner Communications Assistant • Laura Yin Research Program Coordinator • Boris Zdravkovic Administrative Assistant • THE CaNCER PROJECT • Kathy Glisson Director of Marketing • Chelsea Lenge, R.D. Dietitian • Lauray MacElhern Managing Director • Mary Ohno Administrative Assistant • Michelle Rohner Outreach Program Coordinator • PCRM FOUNDaTION • Nabila abdulwahab Data Processor • Milosz Banbor Accounting Manager • Melinda Beard Receptionist • Nikki Bollaert Major Gifts Officer • Deniz Corcoran Data Entry Manager • Sossena Dagne Data Processor • George Dawson Web Developer • Joey Doubek Accounting Assistant • Will Flores Technical Specialist • Brian Halprin Membership Coordinator • angela Henley Administrative Assistant • Stephen Kane Finance Direc-tor • Jacqueline Keller Development Assistant • Sakeenah Kinard Data Processor • JohnR Llewellyn Internet Marketing Manager • Debbi Miller Special Events Manager • Brandon Niles Accounts Payable Coordinator • Leroy Perez Director of Technology • Bethany Richmond Human Resources Coordinator • Navina Roberts Major Gifts Officer • Charles Travaham Facilities Coordinator • Merlene Vassall Grants Manager • Betsy Wason, C.F.R.E. Director of Development • Rod Weaver Data Manager • Gregory Wright Facilities Manager • Rebekah Young Literature Fulfillment Coordinator • Stacey Ziegenhein Human Resources Manager • Craig Ziskin Associate Director of Annual Giving • WaSHINGTON CENTER FOR CLINICaL RESEaRCH • Hope Ferdowsian, M.D., M.P.H. Director of Clinical Research • Valerie Hoover Clinical Research Coordinator • CONSULTaNTS • Jarrod Bailey, Ph.D. • Shawna Benston • Susan Berkow, M.D. • Megha Even, M.S. • Amber Green, R.D. • Peggy Hilden • Brent Jaster, M.D. • Amy Lanou, Ph.D. • Paul Marcone • David Nash, M.D. • Tim Radak, Dr.P.H., M.P.H. • Jennifer Raymond • Jennifer Reilly, R.D. • Garrett Strang • Dulcie Ward, R.D. GoodMedicine is published quarterly by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 5100 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20016, tel 202-686-2210, fax 202-686-2216. It is distributed as a membership benefit to PCRM members. Basic annual membership in PCRM is $20 (tax-deductible). PCRM promotes good nutrition, preventive medicine, ethical research practices, and compassionate medical policy. Readers are welcome to reprint articles without additional permission. Please include the credit line: Reprinted from GoodMedicine, Autumn 2007, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Articles are not to be reprinted for resale. Please contact PCRM at [email protected] regarding other permissions. ©PCRM 2007. Good Medicine is not intended as individual medical advice. Persons with medical conditions or who are taking medications should discuss any diet and lifestyle changes with their health professional. “Good Medicine” is a registered trademark of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “Physicans Committee for Responsible Medicine,” “PCRM,” “The Cancer Project,” “Humane Charity Seal,” and “The Gold Plan” are trademarks of PCRM, federal registration pending.

� GOOD MEDICINE Winter 2006

The latest in…The latest in…

rESEArCH ETHiCS by kristie Stoick, M.P.H., and John J. Pippin, M.D., F.A.C.C.


Test-Tube Human immune System Could replace rabbit Test

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researchers Grow Cellular Model of Human breast Cancer

Researchers at Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry in London

have grown a three-dimensional cellular model of human breast cancer and are now using it to study how breast cells become cancerous. The work was funded by the Dr Hadwen Trust, a Humane Charity Seal of Approval charity, and could be a big step in the replacement of mice in breast cancer research.radowitz, J. Cancer model could end animal testing. The Scotsman, May 9, 2007.

Following a German animal welfare regulation designed to limit egregious

animal experiments, the Bremen Parlia-ment denied Andreas Kreiter permission to perform invasive neurological experi-ments on monkeys at the University of Bremen. The experiments, which are similar to experiments performed at the University of California, San Francisco, that inspired PCRM member physicians in California to file a lawsuit against the school, involved the deprivation of water and implantation of electrodes into the monkeys’ brains. The monkeys would have been strapped into stereotaxic chairs for as long as six hours. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Research Resources announced in May that its ban on chimpanzee breeding in government laboratories will be permanent. The original

Several tests detect pyrogens—micro-scopic agents that cause a dangerous

fever reaction—in medical products and devices. These tests include the rabbit pyrogen tests, which use live rabbits, the bacterial endotoxin test, which uses the blood of horseshoe crabs, and in-vitro tests that use whole human blood cells or cell lines. A laboratory at the Fraun-hofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart, Germany, has developed an in-vitro test using human cell lines, which have not yet been validated to replace the rabbit tests, that may be more accurate than the current tests. The test uses cell lines with receptors that initiate the human fever response and change color when the receptor is activated. While the test

entire immune system in two to three years’ time,” Stephan Rupp, the project manager, estimates.Human immune system in a tube. Medical Science News, July 4, 2007.

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AlTErNATivES To ANiMAl rESEArCH

has proven effective at detecting some kinds of pyrogens so far, it is on its way to detecting the full range of them. “The system should be able to emulate the

breeding moratorium was put in place in 1995, as a temporary measure, after scien-tists failed to develop a chimpanzee “model” of human immunodeficiency virus.Schiermeier, Q. Primate work faces German veto. Nature, April 2007;446:955.

A Good Summer for Primates

Winter 2006 GOOD MEDICINE �

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The latest in…

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by Dulcie Ward, r.D., and Susan levin, M.S., r.D.

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Western Diets Spreading breast Cancer to AsiaHormone replacement Therapy linked to breast Cancer—Again

A new study in the Journal of the Na-

tional Cancer Institute confirms the relation-ship between breast cancer rates and hormone therapy. Kaiser Permanente Researchers analyzed data from 7,386 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and treated at Kaiser Permanente Northwest from 1980 through 2006. Results showed that a sharp decrease in breast cancer rates of 18 percent from 2003 to 2004 corresponded with a 75 percent drop in hormone therapy use. This pattern was particularly evident among women over age 45 and with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers, a type of breast cancer sensitive to hormones. Glass AG, lacey Jv, Carreon D, Hoover rN. breast cancer incidence, 1980-2006: combined roles of menopausal hormone therapy, screen-ing mammography, and estrogen receptor status. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2007;99:1152-1161.

PulMoNAry HEAlTH

A new study finds that a Western diet rich in meat, dairy products, and

sweets is associated with an increased risk for breast cancer. Researchers com-pared the dietary habits of 1,446 women from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study with a control group of 1,549 women from urban Shanghai. Postmenopausal

women following a “meat-sweet” di-etary pattern, high in meat, fish, candy, dessert, white bread, and milk, had a 30 percent greater risk for growth of estrogen receptor-positive tumors. Cui X, Dai Q, Tseng M, Shu X, et al. Dietary patterns and breast cancer risk in the Shanghai breast cancer study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007;16(7):1443-1448.

WoMEN’S HEAlTH

Cured Meat impairs lung Function

A cross-sectional study of 7,352 Third National Health and Nutrition

Examination Survey participants has linked cured meat consumption with decreased lung function and increased odds of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. Analysis showed that every extra serving of cured meat per month came with a 2 percent increase in the risk for COPD. Cured meats, such as bacon, sausage, ham, and luncheon meats, are high in nitrites, an added preservative that produces damaging reactive nitro-gen species. Jiang r, Paik DC, Hankinson Jl, barr rG. Cured meat consumption, lung function, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among united States adults. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007;175:798-804.

consuming diets highest in carbohydrate and lowest in protein. The study also dealt a blow to the idea of a “healthy Mediterranean diet”: Eighty percent of men and 75 percent of women in this population were overweight or obese. Trichopoulou A, Psaltopoulou T, orfanos P, Hsieh C-C, Trichopoulos D. low-carbohydrate-high-protein diet and long-term survival in a general population cohort. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2007;61:575-581.

ProTEiN AND CArboHyDrATE

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Long-term results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer

and Nutrition show that high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets increase mortal-ity risk. Researchers assessed the diets of 22,944 healthy Greek adults. Those consuming diets highest in protein and lowest in carbohydrate had a 22 percent greater risk of death compared with those

A Diet to Die For


research issues

Plaintiffs Pia Salk, Psy.D., and Larry Hansen, M.D., speak with reporters outside of San Francisco Superior Court.

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Should taxpayers have to fund illegal animal experi-ments? Many university-affiliated research centers across the country violate the Animal Welfare Act

time and again—then use state funds to pay the fines and simply continue their experiments. Six California doctors are taking a stand against these activities by filing suit against the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The lawsuit was filed July 31 in Superior Court of the state of California with legal counsel from PCRM. The majority of experiments detailed in the legal complaint involve disturbingly invasive neurological studies on macaque monkeys. Lead plaintiff Pia Salk,

Psy.D., is the niece of Jonas Salk, creator of the first polio vaccine. Joining Dr. Salk in bringing the suit are Larry Hansen, M.D., professor of neurosciences and pathology at University of California, San Diego, and four other area physicians. Over the past decade, government inspectors have repeatedly documented serious violations of the Ani-mal Welfare Act at UCSF. In 2005, the university was fined $92,500—reportedly the fourth-largest settlement amount ever paid for violations of this nature. Under California law, taxpayers are entitled to sue if state re-sources are funding illegal activities and being used to pay the resulting fines. The lawsuit asks the Superior

Court to cut off the funding for these experiments until UCSF comes into compliance with the law. In one experiment, UCSF researchers drilled holes in the skulls of macaque monkeys, bolted metal restraining devices into their heads, and attached data recording devices to track their eye movements and brain function while the monkeys “worked” to receive rewards

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Illegal Experiments

Physicians File Lawsuit Against UCSF for Violating Animal Welfare Law



research issues

such as water. This experiment caused great pain and stress to the animals. Moreover, according to Dr. Hansen, a neurologist who specializes in Alzheimer’s disease, it won’t yield results that are applicable to humans. “The experimenter invokes the potential for alleviating Alzheimer’s disease, but the neural system he studies is not involved in Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Hansen said. The Animal Welfare Act was meant to protect ani-mals from not only cruel research but also research that is duplicative and unnecessary. Two of the experiments conducted by a researcher at UCSF and cited in the lawsuit proposed killing between 700 and 800 dogs to study the correlations of heart failure, structural changes in the heart, and atrial fibrillation. However, these corre-lations have already been demonstrated both in animals and in humans, and the species differences indicate that studying dogs’ hearts contributes little to knowledge of human heart failure and atrial fibrillation. The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Nancy Harrison, M.D., a private practice pathologist who completed her residency at the University of California, San Diego; Richard Mc Lellan, M.D., a specialist in emergency medicine; Mark Niblack, M.D., a retired anesthesiolo-

gist; and Jacquelyn Wilson, M.D., D.A.B.F.M., a consul-tant physician in integrative medicine. As of press time, PCRM is awaiting UCSF’s answer to the complaint. The plaintiffs will then seek discovery, which allows the plaintiffs to question researchers and administrators at UCSF under oath and review their files.

A Larger Problem

UCSF is not the first university-related research facility with legal violations. Federal law requires re-search facilities to create Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) to oversee that facility’s compliance with the Animal Welfare Act. The USDA enforces federal regulations through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which periodically inspects each facility. An audit report released in 2005 by the USDA’s Office of the Inspector General noted the repeated failures of IACUCs to detect, report, or correct serious problems in research programs. Accord-ing to the report, some “IACUCs did not ensure that unnecessary or repetitive experiments would not be performed on laboratory animals” and facility inspec-tions revealed that IACUCs do not effectively monitor

University of Washington The university of Washington was put on probation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of laboratory Animal Care in February 2007 for violations at its animal research centers, including the Washington Primate research Center. violations included unsanitary conditions that jeopardized the health of both workers and animals, and an incident in 2005 in which three rooms reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit, killing 500 mice.

University of Nevada The uSDA cited the university of Nevada, reno, for 46 violations between May 2004 and March 2005. The violations, which resulted in an $11,400 fine, included leaving 10 pigs with inadequate water or housing, poor sanitation, lack of veterinary care, and failure to investigate complaints of animal neglect. The Reno Gazette-Journal also reported that 38 pregnant sheep died in 2002 when they were inside a locked area without food or water for three days.

Columbia University Columbia university is the only school to ever have its research program suspended by the National institutes of Health for not meeting animal welfare standards. The 1986 suspension forced Columbia to end all animal research on vertebrates other than rodents, affecting several million dollars worth of projects. Since that time, several Columbia research projects have sparked controversy, including an experiment in which an entire litter of puppies was killed by cardiac puncture. The school eventually paid just $2,000 in fines for several violations in 2004.

University of California, Davis The university of California, Davis, paid a nearly $5,000 fine in 2005 for violations that resulted in the deaths of seven mon-keys. The researchers left the monkeys in temperatures of up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit for hours at a time.

Animal Welfare Act Violations Across the Country Many schools in the united States have been fined for violating the Animal Welfare Act. Here are a few examples:



research issues

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the “search for alternative research, veterinary care, review of painful procedures, and the researchers’ use of animals.” That report also found that many facilities view the heavily discounted fines for violating the Animal Welfare Act as a normal cost of business rather than a deterrent, especially when measured against the hundreds of millions of research dollars at stake. With an indifferent attitude toward fines by the researchers and the lax enforcement of the law by IACUCs, there is little incentive for research centers to discontinue harmful experiments.

Repeat Offenders

Research facilities all over the United States have been fined for violating the Animal Welfare Act in a variety of ways. In some cases, the fines have ended the experiments. A researcher at the University of Con-necticut Health Center finally halted his experiments on monkeys after four USDA inspections found a failure to provide alternatives to potentially painful or distressful procedures, adequate water, adequate veterinary care, and adequate training for handlers. David Waitzman drilled holes into the skulls of rhesus monkeys and attached tiny steel coils directly onto their eyes in an effort to study the coordinated control of the eyes by the brain to direct the center of gaze. Two of the mon-keys—Cornelius and Lips—died from the experiment. Waitzman ended his work on Aug. 31, 2006, and was reprimanded by the school. Reports show that the Health Center’s IACUC made several recommendations to the center after investigat-ing the USDA’s findings. The IACUC reported that researchers performed unauthorized procedures and employed unauthorized staff, and that discrepancies in drug dosing were the result of carelessness and typo-graphical errors. The USDA has also taken action against the University of Connecticut’s main campus twice in the past nine years. In 2002, the school paid a fine of $129,500 for failure to provide adequate veterinary care.

However, other schools have been found in violation of federal law and received few, if any, penalties. A 2004 report by the National Institutes of Health gave specific examples of severe violations of the Animal Welfare Act at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Violations at the school included: animals dying from cage flooding, animals being denied anesthesia during painful procedures, unauthorized experiments on ani-mals by students, animals being deprived of food and water, and amputation of animals’ toes for identification purposes. After the 2004 report, the university assured the National Institutes of Health that it implemented corrective measures to fully comply with regulations. However, a follow-up investigation and report by the agency in 2005 found many of the same violations, as well as additional ones that included sick and injured animals being denied veterinary care and left to die, more animals being used in experiments than the protocols permitted, suffering animals being denied postsurgical pain medication, and animals living in extremely overcrowded conditions, leading to canni-balism. Despite both of these reports, the school has not been penalized and continues to receive millions of dollars for animal research each year.

Moving Forward

PCRM’s lawsuit against UCSF and ongoing investi-gations at other schools and research institutions should bring to light some of the cruel and inhumane activi-ties that take place under the guise of legal research. As technology advances, researchers around the world are questioning not only the ethical implications of animal research but also their scientific validity for predicting outcomes in human health. Universities and research facilities should not be wasting taxpayers’ dollars con-ducting animal experiments and paying fines for not properly adhering to the already low standards of the Animal Welfare Act. Instead, this time and money should be focused on nonduplicative, effective, and modern research methods.

Universities and research facilities should not be wasting taxpayers’ dollars conducting animal experiments and paying fines for not properly adhering to the already low standards of the Animal Welfare Act.


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PCRM’s fight against a planned animal-testing facility in Arizona is heating up.

After Covance Laboratories took another step toward the construction of a testing laboratory in Chandler, Ariz., seven city residents and PCRM filed a lawsuit July 2 in Maricopa County Superior Court. The lawsuit accuses city officials of violating the Arizona Open Meeting Act and city ordinances in allowing Covance to build its facility in the Chandler Airpark. Many residents are concerned about Covance’s poor track record regarding animal welfare issues. Undercover footage from another location shows lab personnel violently throwing terrified monkeys into their cages, jamming feeding tubes into restrained monkeys’ noses, and stuffing them into plastic restraint tubes. The com-pany was recently investigated and fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture based on documented allegations of strik-ing, choking, and tormenting primates at its Virginia facility. The Chandler plaintiffs also believe the laboratory could threaten public health. They are asking the court to void the

building permit and rezoning that enabled Covance to break ground recently on the 300,000-square-foot facility planned for the southwest corner of Gilbert and Ryan roads in Chandler. Covance has repeatedly imported primates infected with tubercu-losis, Ebola, and other dangerous diseases. The company has also refused to describe how it will safely dispose of the thousands of drug- and chemical-laden animal car-casses it will generate each year. The lawsuit against the city of Chandler consists of three main allegations: Chandler city officials participated in nonpublic meetings about Covance in which they discussed Covance’s plan to secretly abandon its original building site in favor of the Airpark property, which was rezoned by a front organization, violating Arizona’s Open Meeting Law. In violation of state law and the Chan-dler City Code, Chandler failed to give proper notice of two public hearings. The approval of the building permits by the city of Chandler was in violation of its own zoning ordinance because it appears that a huge percentage of Covance’s facility

will be devoted to the operation of a kennel/veterinarian clinic. The zoning ordinance for the city of Chandler does not allow either of these uses within the zoning presently applicable to the Airpark property. “Covance’s animal experimentation facility could expose Chandler residents to hazards ranging from infectious diseases to air and water pollution,” said Dan Kinburn, Esq., PCRM’s general counsel. “Instead of protecting Chandler from these health risks, city officials illegally collaborated with Covance to keep citi-zens in the dark and out of the decision-making process.” In a recent opinion piece in The Ari-zona Republic, plaintiff Eleanor Weeden recalled when she lived in northern Vir-ginia in 1989 and monkeys at the nearby Covance (then under the name Hazelton) facility were found to carry the Ebola virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent in a tactical team to seal off the building, and property values near the facility dropped. For the latest developments in the Covance story, visit www.ProtectChandler.org.

Seven Chandler Residents, PCRM Sue City over Animal-Testing Lab

A PCRM billboard located on Fort Hill Road in Lynchburg, Va., during the

month of July let passersby know that teenagers and gruesome animal dissec-tions don’t mix. The billboard called on local residents to help stop the “Blood

and Guts” high school dissection course, which was recently renamed “Body Quest,” held annually at Lynchburg Col-lege. The billboard also promoted www.NoBloodAndGuts.org, PCRM’s Web site offering information about the course and humane alternatives. The “Body Quest” course, which in-volves the dissection of fetal pigs, sharks, snakes, turtles, frogs, minks, pigeons, and other animals, takes place each summer at Lynchburg College as part of the Virginia

Governor’s School for Mathematics, Sci-ence, and Technology for gifted students. In a letter to Dr. James Kroger, director of the program, PCRM offered to assist with an educational grant of up to $2,500 toward the purchase of a suitable library of computer-based learning alternatives to replace animal dissections. Two local veterinarians also committed to offering veterinary mentorships to the high school students in lieu of the animal dissections. Pictures from last year’s course, which showed shocking images of students engaging in disturbingly inappropriate behavior toward the animals they were dissecting, prompted PCRM to ask administrators to implement humane dissection alternatives. The Governor’s School has made no decision on the future of the course.

Time to End the Blood and Guts Class

10 GOOD MEDICINE Autumn 2007

Research Issues

PCRM toxicologists Chad Sandusky, Ph.D., and Kristie Stoick, M.P.H., presented their work on

behalf of laboratory animals at the sixth World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, held August 21 to 25 in Tokyo.

In his symposium presentation, Dr. Sandusky pushed the audience to think beyond simply reducing and refining animal experiments and to focus on replacement—bringing non-animal methods in and taking animals out. Dr. Sandusky discussed exciting new technologies now in development, such as high-throughput cellular assays, microfluidics, and computer modeling, that will help replace animals in laboratories and that PCRM is working to promote.

Chemical toxicity testing is approaching a major transformation that involves a

move away from animal testing, accord-ing to a recent report by the National Research Council (NRC). The U.S. En-vironmental Protection Agency asked the NRC to conduct a comprehensive review of current toxicity testing methods and propose a strategy for future toxicity test-ing. The NRC found that current testing methods, which are primarily animal tests, are time-consuming, expensive, and often unreliable in predicting human toxicity,

PCRM Toxicologists Present Work at World Congress in Tokyo

Ms. Stoick was given a Young Scientist Award for her presentation entitled “Systemic Testing by the Dermal Route Can Be Precluded by New Non-animal Percuta-neous Absorption Strategies.” Ms. Stoick’s presentation described new non-animal strategies for assessing the degree and the rate at which chemicals pass through the skin. Her presentation detailed how PCRM’s collabora-tion with Dow Chemical, as part of the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency’s High Production Volume Program, used these strategies to avoid reproductive and developmental toxicity testing, sparing nearly 700 ani-mals. Conference attendees were encouraged to practice this strategy in similar situations. Dr. Sandusky and Ms. Stoick also attended several meetings with other scientists and policymakers at the Congress and held a planning meeting with members of the International Council for Animal Protection in OECD Programmes (ICAPO), of which PCRM is currently the Secretariat.

The Future of Toxicity Testing Is In Vitropartly because of interspecies differences in pharmacokinetic processes. The council also found that the animal tests provide little to no information on the mechanism of action of toxicity or for assessing vari-ability in human susceptibility. In contrast to animal tests, cellular-based methods not only are proving to be cheaper, faster, and easier to use, but also are providing more relevant information. Scientists are increasingly able to assess both acute and chronic toxicity by evalu-ating cellular pathways and biomarkers

indicative of toxicity. In-vitro (test-tube) tests can be automated to evaluate thou-sands of chemicals over a wide concentra-tion range and can identify a chemical’s action on gene and cell function and mode of action of toxicity. The NRC concludes, “Over time, the need for traditional ani-mal testing should be greatly reduced and possibly even eliminated.” Committee on Toxicity Testing and Assessment of Environmental Agents, National research Council. Toxicity testing in the twenty-first century: a vision and a strategy. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/cata-log/11970.html. Accessed Aug. 1, 2007.

PCRM toxicologists Kristie Stoick, M.P.H., and Chad Sandusky, Ph.D.

10 GOOD MEDICINE Autumn 2007

A satellite meeting of animal protection attendees at the sixth World Congress

Autumn 2007 GOOD MEDICINE 11

Nutrition & Prevention

PCRM

The Farm Bill, a massive piece of federal legislation making its way through Congress, governs what

children are fed in schools and what food assistance programs can distribute to recipients. The bill provides billions of dollars in subsidies, much of which goes to huge agribusinesses producing feed crops, such as corn and soy, which are then fed to animals. By funding these crops, the government supports the production of meat and dairy products—the same products that contribute to our growing rates of obesity and chronic disease. Fruit and vegetable farmers, on the other hand, receive less than 1 percent of government subsidies. The government also purchases surplus foods like cheese, milk, pork, and beef for distribution to food assistance programs—including school lunches. The gov-ernment is not required to purchase nutritious foods. When the House of Representatives debated the bill in July, PCRM, along with many other health and public interest groups, supported the Fairness in Farm and Food Policy Amendment, which was offered by Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ). This amendment would have limited government subsidies of unhealthy foods, cut subsidies to millionaire farm-ers, and provided more money for nutrition and food assistance programs for Americans and impoverished children overseas. Unfortunately, politics doomed the reform effort. At the eleventh hour, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) feared that freshman representatives who voted to cut subsidies might risk losing their seats in farm states in the 2008 elections, endangering the Democratic major-ity. The reform amendment was defeated 117 to 309. Nonetheless, Congress did make some modest changes to the Farm Bill’s subsidy programs at the very last minute. This fall, the Senate will have its turn debating and voting on the bill. PCRM will need your help again to encourage senators to cut subsidies for unhealthy foods and increase support for fruits, vegetables, and vegetarian foods. Other groups, including the American Medical Association and the President’s Cancer Panel, are also calling on Congress for sweeping reforms (see sidebar).

To learn more about these legislative issues and stay up to date with what’s happening with the Farm Bill, please visit: www.PCRM.org/news/legislative_issues. If you would like receive periodic e-mail updates about the Farm Bill and other PCRM campaigns, sign up for our action alerts at http://support.pcrm.org/subscriptions.

Here’s what other groups are saying:

The 2006-2007 Annual Report of the President’s Cancer Panel: “For example, current agricultural and public health policy is not coordinated—we heavily subsidize the growth of foods (e.g., corn, soy) that in their processed forms (e.g., high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated corn and soybean oils, grain-fed cattle) are known contributors to obesity and associated chronic diseases, including cancer. The upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Security and ru-ral investment Act of 2002 (the Farm bill) provides an opportunity that must not be missed to strongly increase support for fruit and vegetable farmers, improve the national food supply, and enhance the health of participants in the national school lunch, food stamp, and Women, infant, and Children food assistance programs.”

The American Medical Association in a resolution passed by the AMA House of Delegates in 2007: “rESolvED, That our American Medical Association support ef-forts (1) to reduce health disparities by basing food assistance programs on the health needs of their constituents, (2) to provide vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, vegetarian foods, and health-ful nondairy beverages in school lunches and food assistance programs, and (3) to ensure that federal subsidies encourage the consumption of products low in fat and cholesterol.”

Health vs. PorkCongress Debates the Farm Bill

1� GOOD MEDICINE Autumn 2007


1� GOOD MEDICINE Summer 2007

You may know what your child is learning in science class—but what is she eating for lunch? A staggering

80 percent of schools do not meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) nutrition requirements, which mandate that schools serve meals deriving less than 30 percent of calories from fat and less than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat. In its sixth School Lunch Report Card, PCRM has determined which school districts make the grade in the lunchroom—and which schools need to make improvements. PCRM’s School Lunch Report Card grades the nation’s major school districts on the healthfulness of the food they serve and also on how well they promote the benefits of healthy eating to students. Healthful lunches rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and other vegetarian foods not only nourish children but also help them maintain normal body weights, develop good lifelong eating habits, and reduce the risk of chronic disease later in life. For this year’s report,

PCRM dietitians analyzed the lunches served in 22 of the nation’s 100 largest elementary school districts. Because the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) plays such an important role in devel-oping children’s eating habits, schools have a unique opportunity to help stop the growing childhood obesity epidemic and the wide range of health problems that come with it, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer, by introducing children to healthy vegetarian foods right from the start. The NSLP was established in 1946 to provide nutritious free and low-cost meals to students each day. Its secondary purpose was to encourage the consumption of domestic agricultural commodities. Schools participating in the NSLP receive cash subsidies, donated commodities, and free bonus commodities in return for serving meals that meet fed-eral nutrition requirements. These commodities often consist of the USDA’s excess beef, pork, milk, and other high-fat products. For the report card, PCRM graded schools based on criteria in three major categories: Obesity and Chronic Disease Prevention, Health Promotion and Nutrition Adequacy, and Nutrition Initiatives. To score highly, schools had to not only meet the USDA nutrition requirements, which permit high-fat, high-cholesterol foods to be regularly featured in school lunches, but also serve a nondairy vegetarian entrée daily, offer a variety of fresh or low-fat vegetable side dishes and fresh fruits daily, make a nondairy beverage available, and provide nutrition education in the cafeteria and through other programs. This year, PCRM dietitians saw some positive trends: 64 percent of the schools regularly feature a vegan entrée or have them available upon request, 72 percent offer an alternative to cow’s milk, and vegetarian options have generally expanded past peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to include veggie burgers, pasta primavera, and bean burritos. However, while 10 of the 22 schools earned a B- or higher, five schools received a failing grade. The lowest-scoring schools all had very limited vegetarian options and served too many high-fat foods, such as chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and hot dogs. These schools could improve their score by adding more healthful vegetable and fruit side dishes.

2007 School Lunch Report Card

School DiStrict Score GraDePinellas County sChools (Florida) 94 aCharlotte-MeCklenburg sChools (north Carolina) 92 a-FairFax County PubliC sChools (Virginia) 92 a-san diego uniFied sChool distriCt (CaliFornia) 92 a-MiaMi-dade County PubliC sChools (Florida) 89 b+MontgoMery County PubliC sChools (Maryland) 87 b+oakland uniFied sChool distriCt (CaliFornia) 84 bsaCraMento City uniFied sChool distriCt (CaliFornia) 84 bVolusia County sChools (Florida) 84 bdekalb County sChools (georgia) 80 b-CaPistrano uniFied sChool distriCt (CaliFornia) 79 C+daVis sChool distriCt (utah) 77 C+santa ana uniFied sChool distriCt (CaliFornia) 75 CMilwaukee PubliC sChools (wisConsin) 72 C-orange County PubliC sChools (Florida) 67 d+atlanta PubliC sChools (georgia) 67 d+oMaha PubliC sChools (nebraska) 66 danChorage sChool distriCt (alaska) 60 FhanCoCk County sChools (west Virginia) 59 Fysleta indePendent sChool distriCt (texas) 58 FJordan County sChool distriCt (utah) 56 Fst. louis PubliC sChools (Missouri) 53 F

PCRM Report Card RevealsSchool Lunch Disparities

Autumn 2007 GOOD MEDICINE 1�

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Race and Cancer Survival

A new study by PCRM’s Hope

R . Fe rdows i an , M.D., M.P.H., and Neal D. Barnard, M.D., and featured in the July issue of Ethnicity and Disease explores the interplay of race and ethnicity with cancer mortal-ity, finding that simple diet changes could help reduce racial disparities. The report analyzed data from 25 previously published papers and reports. It shows that African-American men are more likely than white men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and to die from it. While African-American women are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, compared with white women, they are more likely to die of the disease. The report explains that the typi-cal high-fat, meat-based Western diet contributes to the development and progression of breast and prostate can-cers. Many studies have shown that low-fat, high-fiber, and plant-based diets reduce the risk of these types of cancer for everyone. However, those who are disproportionately affected may see even greater benefits from adopting this diet than the general population. Ferdowsian Hr, barnard ND. The role of diet in breast and cancer preven-tion and survival. Ethnicity and Disease. 2007;17:S218-22.

Vegan Diets Best for Long-Term Weight Loss

It is well established that overweight people who start a vegetarian or vegan

diet lose weight. A new controlled study shows that vegan diets, especially when paired with group support, also help

keep weight from coming back over the long term. The study participants were 64 over-weight, postmenopausal women who were randomly assigned to either a low-fat vegan diet or a more conventional low-fat diet following the National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines. And with-in each diet group, some participants were offered extended group support, while others were not. No meals were provided and no calorie restrictions were placed on either group. The vegan group lost a median of 11 pounds at one year, compared with four pounds for the control group. At the two-year mark, the vegan group had lost approximately seven pounds from baseline, compared with approximate-ly two pounds for the control group. Regardless of diet assignment, partici-pants who were of-fered group support meetings lost more weight over the course of the study than those who did not. The study, published in the Septem-ber issue of Obesity, was authored by PCRM nutrition scientist Gabrielle M. Turner-McGrievy, M.S., R.D., PCRM president Neal D. Barnard, M.D., and Anthony R. Scialli, M.D., of George-town University. Turner-McGrievy G, barnard, ND, Scialli, Ar. A two-year randomized weight loss trial comparing a vegan diet to a more moderate low-fat diet. Obesity. 2007;15-9:1-6.

Effect of Diet on Prostate Cancer

Men who increase consumption of vegetarian foods and avoid foods

that feed tumor growth, such as dairy

PCRM Experts Tackle Cancer and Obesity in Three New Journal Reports

products and meat, may significantly increase survival after prostate cancer diagnosis, say the authors of a new study appearing as the lead article in the Sep-tember issue of Nutrition Reviews. The paper looked at the findings of eight observational studies and 17 intervention studies on the effect of a plant-based diet on prostate cancer. The data showed that adoption of a plant-based diet may slow disease progression and improve prognosis. In prospective studies of prostate cancer patients, a diet high in saturated fat is associated with a threefold higher risk of cancer progres-sion and death, compared with a diet low in saturated fat. Specific foods may also play a role, according to the paper. For example, a slowing of prostate cancer progression was observed in patients who consumed flaxseed or lycopene-contain-ing foods, such as tomatoes. Soy or iso-flavone supplements also were reported to improve prostate cancer prognosis. PCRM nutrition consultant Susan E. Berkow, Ph.D., C.N.S., who is also on the faculty at George Mason University, wrote the paper along with PCRM presi-dent Neal Barnard, M.D., and Gordon Saxe, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego.berkow, S, barnard N, Saxe, G, Ankerberg-Nobis, T. Diet and survival after prostate cancer diagnosis. Nutrition Reviews. 2007;65-9;391-493.

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New TV Spots Promote Healthy Vegetarian Diets

TV viewers across the country may soon see something besides ads for chips, soda, and fast food during the

commercial breaks for their favorite programs. PCRM has just released two public service announcements

(PSAs) that bring good news about healthy foods to viewers in two new formats: one in Spanish and one in animated form. First, award-winning investigative journalist Geraldo Rivera narrates “El Poder de la Alimentación” (The Power of Nutrition), PCRM’s first Spanish-language PSA. Heart disease and cancer are the top killers of Hispanic-Americans. The new PSA, which has been distributed to both radio and TV stations across the country, relays the message that these illnesses can be largely prevented or managed through a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and high-fiber vegetarian foods. This PSA offers a toll-free number, staffed by Spanish-speaking representatives, through which the viewers or listeners can order PCRM’s free Vegetarian Starter Kit in Spanish that includes prevention informa-

tion, nutrition advice, and healthful, easy-to-prepare recipes. For more information on our Spanish-language booklet, please visit www.HazteVegetariano.org. “Veggie Therapy,” PCRM’s first ani-mated PSA, is a hu-morous spot about fruits and vegetables going to group ther-apy because they’re so tired of being misunderstood. The pieces of produce are upset that many supermarket shoppers don’t know, as doctors do, that fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains and legumes, can help prevent certain cancers, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. The PSA ends by offering a toll-free number—1-877-VEG2DAY—that viewers can call to receive more information about healthful vegetarian diets. Viewers are also directed to www.NutritionMD.org, where they can read about how nutrition affects specific health conditions, access more than 800 recipes, create a meal plan and shopping list, and receive a variety of health and nutrition tips.



The Cancer Project

Over the years, many studies have suggested that cancer patients who

adopt a more healthful diet are more likely to survive. Two new studies prove it. The Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS), sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, followed 2,437 women who had previously been treated for breast cancer.1 Half the women continued their regular diets. The other half cut their fat intake. After five years, 12.4 percent of the women eating their usual diets had a cancer recurrence. But the recurrence rate was cut to 9.8 percent in the low-fat diet group, a 24 percent reduction. For estrogen-receptor-negative tumors, the reduction was 42 percent. Another study, The Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) Study, focused on vegetable and fruit intake. Based at the University of California, San Diego, the project included 3,109 women previously treated for breast cancer.2 Half the participants were asked to consume at least five fruit and vegetable servings per day. The remaining participants were asked to push their diet changes further, up to eight fruit and vegetable servings per day. Specifically, that meant five vegetable servings and three fruit servings, plus 16 ounces of vegetable juice. They were also asked to trim their fat intake to 15 to 20 percent of calories. The study’s first finding was a con-firmation that diet changes can alter the hormones that fuel breast cancer. Estrogen levels were noticeably lower in the eight-a-day group after the first

year.3 The reason, apparently, is fiber. It has long been known that the liver filters estrogens from the bloodstream, sending them into the intestinal tract where fiber escorts them out with the wastes. That is important, because excess estrogens fuel cancer growth. When the diet is rich in fiber, this hormone-removal system works efficiently. But if the diet is lower in fiber, some of the waste hormones are reabsorbed from the intestinal tract back into the bloodstream. In a 2005 article, the WHEL investi-gators found that participants with the highest carotenoid concentrations in their blood—showing that they really were eating their vegetables and fruits—had a 43 percent lower risk of either cancer recurrence or a new primary breast cancer, compared with women whose carotenoid levels were lower.4 In 2007, the Journal of Clinical Oncol-ogy published findings from the WHEL research team showing that women in the five-a-day group who followed the five-a-day guideline and were also physically active had nearly a 50 percent reduction in the risk of dying over the next seven years, compared with women who did not meet these healthful guidelines.5 A subse-quent JAMA report showed that those in the eight-a-day group did not experience additional benefits beyond those achieved by the five-a-day group.6

When the JAMA report was released, many newspapers misinterpreted the results. USA Today reported, “A diet high in vegetables and fruits apparently does

nothing to prevent breast cancer from returning….” Similarly, ABC News de-clared, “There are many things a breast cancer survivor can do to keep her cancer at bay—but eating a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables isn’t one of them, new research suggests.” Both got it exactly wrong. The truth was that high fruit and vegetable intake, plus regular exercise, had a dramatic ef-fect on survival, cutting mortality nearly in half. But a woman already eating five vegetable and fruit servings daily gains no further long-term benefit from eating even more vegetables and fruits. There were several things the WHEL Study did not test. Because most partici-pants did not trim fat intake beyond the first year, the study could not test the value of a low-fat diet. Nor did it test weight loss, something shown to be of benefit in other studies. The study also did not test a vegan diet, which was previously shown to be dramatically effective for prostate cancer patients.7 So, would a diet that combines all these elements yield stronger results than were seen in the WINS and WHEL studies? It may well, and there is certainly reason to make these healthful changes. Taken together, these studies show that women who have been treated for breast cancer can help keep cancer from coming back by reducing fat intake, boosting vegetable and fruit consumption, and remaining physically active. references

1. Chlebowski rT, blackburn Gl, Thomson CA, et al. Dietary fat reduction and breast cancer outcome: interim efficacy results from the Women’s intervention Nutrition Study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006;98:1767-1776.

2. Pierce JP, Faerber S, Wright FA, et al. A randomized trial of the effect of a plant-based dietary pattern on additional breast cancer events and survival: the Women’s Healthy Eating and living (WHEl) Study. Contr Clin Trials. 2002;23:728-756.

3. rock Cl, Flatt SW, Thomson CA, et al. Effects of a high-fiber, low-fat diet intervention on serum concentrations of reproductive steroid hormones in women with a history of breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2004;12:2379-2387.

4. rock Cl. Flatt SW, Natarajan l, et al. Plasma carotenoids and recur-rence-free survival in women with a history of breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2005;23:6631-6638.

5. Pierce JP, Stefanick Ml, Flatt SW, et al. Greater survival after breast cancer in physically active women with high vegetable-fruit intake regardless of obesity. J Clin Oncol. 2007;25:2345-2351.

6. Pierce JP, Natarajan l, Caan bJ, et al. influence of a diet very high in vegetables, fruit, and fiber and low in fat on prognosis following treat-ment for breast cancer: The Women’s Healthy Eating and living (WHEl) randomized trial. JAMA. 2007;298:289-298.

7. ornish D, Weidner G, Fair Wr, et al. intensive lifestyle changes may af-fect the progression of prostate cancer. J Urol. 2005;274:1065-1069.

Diet Changes Boost Breast Cancer Survival The WINS and WHEL Studies

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The Cancer Project updateThe Cancer Project

The second annual Cancer and Nutri-tion Symposium brought together top

researchers from across the country to share the latest news in cancer research. Hundreds of oncologists, nurses, health professionals, dietitians, and Cancer Project Food for Life cooking instructors received breakthrough information about how foods can fight cancer. The symposium, held July 28 in Bethesda, Md., featured presentations from Cancer Project president Neal Bar-nard, M.D., June Chan, Sc.D., T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., Lawrence Kushi, Sc.D., and John McDougall, M.D. Dr. Chan is an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics and urol-ogy at the University of California, San Francisco. At the symposium, Dr. Chan described her research findings inves-tigating the protective effects of fruits and vegetables on pancreatic cancer risk. Although pancreatic cancer is among the most deadly forms of the disease, Dr. Chan showed that the risk is cut dramatically by increasing consumption of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, while meats, eggs, and dairy products increase risk.

Dr. Campbell, Jacob Gould Schur-man Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University and the co-author of The China Study, delved into the role of diet in breast cancer causation and management. Dr. Campbell showed how animal products, including dairy products, increase breast cancer risk. Dr. Kushi is the associate director for etiology and prevention research at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Kushi explored the in-sights gained from epidemiologic studies and how they have led to dietary recom-mendations for cancer prevention. Dr. McDougall is a nationally rec-ognized nutrition expert who is also a board-certified internist, author of 10 books, and host of the television show McDougall, M.D. Dr. McDougall chal-lenged the notion of “early” detection, pointing out that cancer is typically many years in development before it is found by typical screening methods. He also raised important questions about the efficacy of commonly used cancer treat-ments, and encouraged a new emphasis on diet and lifestyle interventions.

Cancer Researchers, Health Professionals Gather for Second Annual Symposium

Dr. Barnard showed the effect of in-creased body weight on breast cancer risk. Even within the weight range commonly accepted as normal, higher body weight is associated with poorer survival. He also put new findings from the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study in perspective, showing that women previ-ously diagnosed with breast cancer who consumed at least five fruit and vegetable servings each day had nearly a 50 percent reduction in mortality risk, compared with those consuming fewer servings of these healthful foods. The Cancer Project also held its annual instructor summit for its 65 Food for Life cooking instructors from around the country, giving them a chance to continue learning about the latest scientific research and improve their cooking techniques. To find a Food for Life Nutrition and Cook-ing class near you or to see expert lectures from the 2006 Symposium, visit www.CancerProject.org. DVDs of the symposium presentations will be available at CancerProject.org.

Symposium speakers John McDougall, M.D.; T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.; Lawrence Kushi, Sc.D.; June Chan, Sc.D.; and Neal Barnard, M.D.

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The Cancer Project

www.CancerProject.orgThe Cancer Project is a nonprofit PCRM subsidiary that advances cancer prevention and survival through nutrition education and research.


by Chelsea lenge, r.D., and Neal D. barnard, M.D.

name derives from the Latin word “folium” for “leaf” and is most concentrated in green leafy vegetables, beans, peas, and fortified grains. Ericson u, et al. High folate intake is associated with lower breast cancer incidence in postmenopausal women in the Malmo Diet and Cancer cohort. Am J Clin Nutr. Aug 2007; 86(2):434-443.

lifelong vegetarian Diet reduces risk of Colorectal Cancer

In a prospective trial evaluating diet and colorectal cancer, researchers from Tata Memorial Hospital

in Mumbai, India, found that a vegetarian diet was associated with reduced risk of colorectal cancer if started early in life. Investigators used a prospectively created database of 8,877 Indian patients managed in a clinical nutrition service from 2000 through 2005 to measure the association between lifelong vegetarianism and incidence of colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer risk was inversely related to a vegetarian diet and body mass index. Shastri y, et al. lifelong vegetarian diet reduces the risk of colorectal cancer. Abstract number 155. Presented at Digestive Diseases Week, 2007, Washington, D.C., May 19-23.

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Western Diet impairs Colon Cancer Survival

In a prospective observational study of 1,009 colon cancer patients, researchers found that survival

depended to a great extent on dietary habits. The participants had completed initial cancer treatment. Those who consumed more red and processed meats, sweets, and refined grains were more likely to have a recurrence or die from the disease after a median 5.3-year follow-up, while those who consumed more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and less red and processed meats and refined foods were less likely to experience a recurrence and more likely to survive. Meyerhardt JA, et al. Association of dietary pattern with cancer recurrence and survival in patients with stage iii colon cancer. JAMA. 2007;298:754-764.

Folate Helps Prevent breast Cancer

Researchers evaluating folate (also called folic acid) intake in 11,699 postmenopausal women from the

Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort found that intake of the B vitamin correlated with a lower risk of invasive postmenopausal breast cancer. In the study, women who consumed an average of 456 micrograms of folate per day had a 44 percent lower risk of breast cancer com-pared with women averaging 160 micrograms per day. Folate plays an important role in DNA synthesis and repair, and evidence suggests that folate deficiency could lead to the development of certain types of cancers. Its


Member Support


Please send me information about:

bequests gift annuities other planned gifts

NAME

ADDrESS

CiTy STATE/ProviNCE

ziP/PoSTAl CoDE CouNTry

E-MAil PHoNE

Please mail to: The PCrM Foundation, Attn: Membership Dept.5100 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 400Washington, DC 20016

or visit our planned-giving Web site at http://pcrm.planyourlegacy.org.

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It’s amazing to see what can be accomplished

when dedicated people fo-cus their efforts on success.

PCRM members continue to play a critical role in recent

victories that we have had in class-rooms, laboratories, and legislation.

We have seen the number of medical schools that still use live animals in

Making a Year-End

Gift to PCRM

teaching drop dramatically; we have seen Congress shift toward healthier funding priorities; and we have seen how a com-mitted organization can put up a fight against a corporate giant like Covance! PCRM members are passionate about making our world a better place. Your participation in our current fundrais-ing drive will help continue to fuel this process of change. Your membership gift is the backbone of our work, and your additional contributions throughout the year give us the resources that we need to fight and win unexpected battles in the courtroom, schools, and in the press—anywhere and everywhere we need to be. If we can accomplish so much in just a short time, think of what we can do in the years ahead—and in a lifetime! We are grateful that you are part of the PCRM team and that you continue to support our efforts. Enjoy the season,

BetsyWasoN,C.f.r.e. DireCtorofDeveloPMeNt

Including PCRM in Your Will

A bequest is an important way to ensure that your resources work for the causes you support. The follow-ing sample is language that may be used in a will:

“i give, devise, and bequeath to the Physicians Committee for responsible Medicine, inc., federal tax identifica-tion number 52-1394893, 5100 Wis-consin Ave. NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20016, the sum of $_______ (or describe the real or personal prop-erty or percentage of the estate) as a charitable contribution to be used for its general purposes.”

Explore more gift options to help you achieve your goals at pcrm.planyourlegacy.org.

Autumn 2007 GOOD MEDICINE 1� Autumn 2007 GOOD MEDICINE 1�

Member Support

New CFC # 10460

We are proud to participate in the country’s largest workplace giving

campaign—the Combined Federal Cam-paign (CFC), providing federal employees with an opportunity to contribute to their favorite charities each year from Septem-ber 1 through December 15. This year, all registered charities have been assigned new campaign numbers. Please note PCRM’s new number when it’s time to consider designating your gift. Thank you!

On June 16, Drs. Diana Rebman and Barry Schenker opened their beauti-

ful home in the hills of Berkeley, Calif., to PCRM members, staff, and guests for a fundraising reception. Guests were treated to delicious gourmet vegan fare created by Dr. Schenker, a breathtaking view of the San Francisco Bay, and firsthand up-

Berkeley Event Brings Bay Area Members Together

dates about PCRM’s latest efforts from president Dr. Neal Barnard and director of toxicology and research, Dr. Chad Sandusky. The successful event brought new awareness for PCRM’s work, critical funding for our programs, and many new friends. Thank you, Diana and Barry!

Is a Charitable Gift Annuity for You?

This simple form of planned giv-ing to PCRM may be the right

choice for you if …

you want to make a significant gift and receive lifetime pay-ments in return;

you want to maximize the pay-ments you receive from your planned gift—and you want to lower your income tax on those payments;

you want the security of pay-ment amounts that won't fluctuate during your lifetime; and

you also appreciate the safety of your payments being a gen-eral financial obligation of the institution.

Of all the gifts that pay you back, the charitable gift annuity is the simplest, most affordable, and most popular. The gift agreement is a simple contract between you and PCRM: You make a gift of $5,000 or more to PCRM and in return we agree to make fixed payments to you for life. To learn more about charitable gift annuities, visit our compre-hensive planned giving Web site at www.pcrm.planyourlegacy.org, return the information request form on page 18, or contact Betsy Wason at 1-866-416-7276, ext. 366.

Meet Fellow PCRM Members

Would you like to help organize a PCRM benefit

night at your favorite vegetarian restaurant? We are looking for volunteers to help us launch “Eat and Greet,” a program that will provide members with an opportunity to meet each other while dining out to sup-port PCRM. A benefit night is easy to arrange and we can provide your local restaurant with some great publicity! If you would like more information, please contact Brian Halprin at [email protected] or 202-686-2210, ext. 304, for details.

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PCRM members enjoy dinner at Nirvana, a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Washington, D.C.

�0 GOOD MEDICINE Autumn 2007

PCrM Marketplace

Healthy Eating for Life for ChildrenPCRM with Amy Lanou, Ph.D.When children learn proper nutrition early in life, they are more likely to avoid heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Here’s how to get them started. Includes kid-tested recipes. 258 pgs, $14.95

Healthy Eating for Life book series from PCRMPCRM’s series of medically sound, reader-friendly books explain diet’s role in wellness and disease prevention. Each book includes at least 80 healthy, delicious vegetarian recipes. Forewords by PCRM president Neal D. Barnard, M.D.

Healthy Eating for Life for WomenPCRM with Kristine KieswerLearn how the right foods can ease menstrual and menopausal symptoms, strengthen bones, encourage weight loss, protect the heart, and help prevent certain cancers. 260 pgs, $14.95

Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat CancerPCRM with Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D.This book provides a complete nutrition program to prevent and fight cancer. Packed with tips and guidelines for life-long good health. 244 pgs, $14.95

Healthy Eating for Life to Prevent and Treat DiabetesPCRM with Patricia Bertron, R.D.Studies show that diabetes can be highly responsive to diet and lifestyle changes. PCRM explains these changes and how to put them into practice. 244 pgs, $14.95

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Food allergy Survival GuideVesanto Melina, M.S., R.D., Jo Stepaniak, M.S.Ed., Dina Aronson, M.S., R.D.Three prominent authorities in nutrition and vegetarian cooking explain how to pinpoint foods that trigger aller-gies and aggravate conditions such as arthritis, asthma, ADHD, and depression. Learn to recognize “hidden” culprits in prepared foods. Discover delicious, healthful substitutes. Includes over 100 recipes. 383 pgs, $19.95

The Whole Foods Diabetic CookbookPatricia Stevenson, Michael Cook, Patricia Bertron, R.D.It’s not just about sugar anymore! A low-fat, vegetarian diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans will keep blood sugar at a more constant level and help control excess weight. Delicious recipes make it easy. Includes background info on diabetes and nutrition. 159 pgs, $12.95

Prevent and Reverse Heart DiseaseCaldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., M.D.Drawing on findings from his 20-year study, noted surgeon and researcher Esselstyn presents a scientifically proven, nutrition-based program that stops and reverses heart disease, even for people who have been affected for many years. More than 150 great recipes. 308 pgs, $24.95

Fat-Free and Easy Great Meals in Minutes!Jennifer RaymondAs guest chef for Dr. Dean Ornish’s “Open Your Heart” program, Jennifer Raymond has the secret to making quick, fat-free, scrumptious, vegan recipes that will delight everyone. 152 pgs, $12.95

Vegan Microwave CookbookNancy Berkoff, R.D.Award-winning chef and columnist Nancy Berkoff offers over 165 easy recipes, many of which take less than 10 minutes to prepare. Microwave magic can make dream meals mesh with a busy schedule. 287 pgs, $16.95

RESEARCH ISSUES

What Will We Do If We Don’t Experiment on animals?Medical Research for the 21st CenturyC. Ray Greek, M.D., and Jean Swingle Greek, D.V.M. The Greeks answer the title’s question with a tour of truly modern medical research. With advances in the study of human genetics and the ability to measure human responses to drugs at the molecular level, researchers will find it increasingly difficult to justify the crude data accu-mulated from animal experimentation. 262 pgs, $24.99

Pleasurable KingdomAnimals and the Nature of Feeling GoodJonathan Balcombe, Ph.D.Life as experienced by animals is not a grim struggle for survival, according to animal behavior researcher Balcombe. He pres-ents persuasive evidence that animals—like humans—find enjoyment in touch, food, aesthetics, companionship, anticipation, and more. Full of insight and humor, the book poses vital ethical questions. 256 pgs, $24.95

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Nutrition Guide for CliniciansPhysicians Committee for Responsible MedicineThis comprehensive medical reference manual covers nearly 100 diseases and conditions, including risk factors, diagnoses, and typical treatments. Most importantly, it provides the latest evidence-based informa-tion on nutrition’s role in prevention and treatment. Includes an in-depth examination of general nutri-tion, macronutrients, micronutrients, and nutritional requirements for all stages of life. 884 pgs, $19.95 Special Discount $17.95

Your Vegetarian PregnancyA Month-by-Month Guide to Health and NutritionHolly Roberts, D.O., F.A.C.O.G.Fulfilling every nutritional guideline recommended by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, this book is the first authoritative guide to maintaining a healthy plant-based diet before, during, and after the birth of your child. 378 pgs, $15.00

The Best in the WorldFast, Healthful Recipes from Exclusive and Out-of-the-Way RestaurantsNeal D. Barnard, M.D., EditorThis popular collection of wonderfully healthy recipes comes from the world’s best and most unusual restau-rants. Enjoy these vegan delicacies at home. Hardcover, 71 pgs, $11.95

Dr. McDougall’s Digestive Tune-UpJohn A. McDougall, M.D.Dr. McDougall takes a candid, humorous look at how the di-gestive tract functions. Learn how a low-fat, cholesterol-free, plant-based diet can prevent and cure constipation, hemorrhoids, IBS, and other chronic intestinal disorders. 211 pgs, $19.95

NEW LANDMARK BOOK FROM PCRM

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Becoming Whole: The Story of My Complete Recovery from Breast CancerMeg Wolff, Foreword by T. Colin CampbellEight years after losing a leg to bone cancer, Meg Wolff was dying of breast cancer. Conventional treatments were not expected to save her life, but Meg fought back with a macrobiotic diet and a determination to control how she would live or die. Discover Meg’s story of physical and emotional healing and how it could apply to your life. 288 pgs, $21.00

appetite for ProfitMichele SimonLaw professor and health food policy expert Michele Si-mon exposes manipulation of consumers and government by fast-food, beverage, and processed-food corporations. The result is a national epidemic of obesity , heart disease, and diabetes. Fascinating and empowering reading. 416 pgs, $15.95

Don’t Drink Your MilkFrank Oski, M.D.Milk is the perfect food—for a calf. For humans, however, milk poses several health risks, as outlined in this very readable book by the former director of the Johns Hopkins University Department of Pediatrics. 92 pgs, $9.95

More Great Good Dairy-free Desserts—NaturallyFran CostiganChef-instructor Fran Costigan teaches the fine art of creating vegan pastries, pies, cakes, puddings, and frozen desserts. Everyone from novice bakers to gourmet cooks will find valuable tips on equipment, techniques, and all-natural ingredients. 221 pgs, $19.95

The Vegetarian SolutionStewart RoseLearn how plant-based nutrition prevents disease, reduces global warming, and protects animal welfare. A comprehensive overview of the issues, loaded with thought-provoking charts and diagrams.157 pgs, $12.95

From Neal D. Barnard, M.D., PCRM president

Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes

If you have diabetes or are concerned about developing it, this program could change the course of your life. Dr. Barnard’s groundbreaking clinical studies, the latest funded by the National Institutes of Health, show that diabetes responds dramatically to a low-fat, vegetarian diet. Rather than just compensating for malfunctioning insulin like other treatment plans, Dr. Barnard’s program helps repair how the body uses insulin. Includes 50 delicious recipes. 288 pgs, $25.95

Foods That Fight PainDid you know that ginger can prevent migraines and that coffee sometimes cures them? Drawing on new research, Dr. Barnard shows readers how to soothe ev-eryday ailments and cure chronic pain with common foods. 348 pgs, $14.00

a Physician’s Slimming Guide for Permanent Weight ControlYou can succeed in becoming and staying slimmer! This book is not a diet—it’s a comprehensive program that takes the reader beyond artificial “formula ap-proaches.” 96 pgs, $7.95

Breaking the Food SeductionWe all have foods we can’t resist, foods that sabotage our health. But banishing those cravings for chocolate, cookies, cheese, or burg-ers isn’t a question of willpower, it’s a matter of biochemistry. Drawing on his own research and that of other leading institutions, Dr. Barnard reveals how diet and lifestyle changes can break the craving cycle. 324 pgs, $14.95

Breaking the Food Seduction Audio SummAry by the author, 68 mins, compact disc, $10.00

Turn Off the Fat GenesGenes, including those that shape our bodies, actually adapt to outside influences. Dr. Barnard explains the process and provides a three-week gene-control program complete with menus and recipes by Jen-nifer Raymond. Here are powerful tools for achieving long-term weight loss and better health. Paperback, 350 pgs, $14.00

Food for LifeThe breakthrough book on aging, heart disease, cancer, weight control, and general health. Preface by Dean Ornish, M.D. Loads of tips on chang-ing your diet, 21 days of menus, plus delicious recipes by Jennifer Raymond. 334 pgs, $14.00

The Nutrition Rainbow PosterThe more naturally colorful your meal is, the more likely it is to have an abundance of cancer-fighting nutrients. Pigments that give fruits and vegetables their bright colors represent a variety of protective compounds. The Nutrition Rainbow poster shows the cancer-fighting and immune-boosting power of different-hued foods. 17”x22”, $6.00

Prescription for Life PosterThis whimsical work of art introduces your patients to the importance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans in cancer prevention and survival. It also tells how to obtain free information about nutrition, recipes, and classes from The Cancer Project. 17”x22”, $6.00

The Survivor’s Handbook:Eating Right for Cancer SurvivalFind out how foods fight cancer and the advantages of a high-fiber, low-fat, dairy- and meat-free diet. Includes updates from the latest research, special prostate and breast cancer sections, tips for making the dietary transition, and recipes. Spi-ral bound, 145 pgs, $14.95

Eating Right for Cancer Survival videoThis groundbreaking new video is designed to work hand-in-hand with the companion Survivor’s Hand-book. Together they’ll provide you with empowering information on how simple, everyday choices can cause major changes in your health and well be-ing. Contains eight presentations by Neal Barnard, M.D., Jennifer Reilly, R.D., and Amy Lanou, Ph.D. 103 mins.DVD $14.95VHS $14.95

SPECIaL VIDEO /HaNDBOOK COMBO OFFERDVD / Handbook $24.95VHS / Handbook $24.95

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The New Four Food Groups Grocery Tote Bag

This ample canvas bag measures 12"x16.5"x7". Green on natural

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Bumper Sticker Full color. $1.00

Vegetarian Starter KitIt’s all here. Learn about the power of a plant-food diet for fighting disease and maintaining a healthy weight. Get the facts on vegan diets for pregnant women, babies, and children. Try delicious sample recipes. Debunk common myths. And make friends with the New Four Food Groups! 16 pgs, $2.00

Go Veg—B4 It’s 2L8 Quality 100% cotton. Yellow on forest green. $11.95

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Refrigerator Magnet Full color, 2"x3½". $1.00

Go Vegan Multilingual apronVeg-friendly phrases in ten languages. 21"x 28" gourmet apron with pocket. Cream on forest green. $13.95

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Choose Health! Four Food Groups Poster Striking color photos illustrate PCRM’s New Four Food Groups for complete nutrition without cholesterol and excess fat. Includes serving recommendations. 22"x17", $6.00

Cartoon Four Food Groups PosterPCRM’s colorful and informative guide to nutritional recommendations, illustrated for younger eaters. 22"x17", $6.00

New Four Food Groups Place Mats Four color ful guides to the New Four Food Groups. The flip side provides cooking and food storage tips, unmasks dietary myths, and suggests additional reading. 17"x11", $12.00

Guía de Iniciación para una Dieta VegetarianaThe Spanish-language version of PCRM’s popular Vegetarian Starter Kit. $2.00

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Just the Facts

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Just the Facts

MRIs Predict Neurological Recoveryresearchers are better able to predict the likelihood of recovery in people with acute spinal cord injuries by using magnetic resonance imaging, according to a study in the journal Radiology. im-ages taken within 48 hours of injury can predict the extent of recovery and may justify more aggressive treat-ments for patients who have sustained severe damage but are capable of recovery.

Compassionate Kittyoscar, a cat who lives in a nursing home, has an uncanny ability to predict when patients are about to pass away. When staff members see oscar curling up with a patient, they call the family and give them an opportunity to say goodbye to their loved one. His ability to correctly predict patients’ deaths was described by Dr. David Dosa, geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at brown university, in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Candy CowsWith the demand for ethanol driving up corn prices, farmers have taken to mixing some cheaper alternatives into cattle feed. According to The Wall Street Journal, a Georgia feedlot opera-tor feeds cows a mixture that includes chocolate bars and “party mix” —a blend of popcorn, pret-zels, potato chips, and cheese curls.

Genetic Experiments Push U.K. Mouse Use to New HighGenetically modified mice are used in experiments now more than ever, and that’s pushed britain’s number of animal “procedures” to its highest level in 15 years. britain’s Home office recently announced that more than three million experiments were carried out in 2006, which is a 4 percent increase compared with 2005 statistics.

Going Meatless Saves Money A vegetarian diet trims grocery bills and long-term health care costs, according to a recent article on the MSN.com Web site. That’s because the healthy staples of a plant-based diet, including beans, lentils, and rice, are much less expensive per pound than chicken, tuna, or beef. People who follow a vegan diet also have less risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses, which means they don’t spend as much money on doctors, drugs, and hospitals as do meat-eaters.

Who’s Mad? What’s the best way to make sure another case of mad cow disease doesn’t show up in America? Don’t test for it. believe it or not, that was the u.S. government’s position in response to a kansas beef producer who wanted to test his entire herd. Currently, the u.S. Department of Agriculture tests less than 1 percent of slaughtered cows for mad cow disease. Three cases have shown up in the united States, and universal testing remains banned because of the possible harm it could do to the cattle industry.

Not Just Cleaner—They’re More Nutritiousresearchers at the university of California, Davis, found not only that organic produce is lower in pesticide residue but that it may also be better than conventionally grown fruits and vegetables for overall and cardiovascular health. organic tomatoes have almost twice the amount of flavonoids, important disease-fighting antioxidants that reduce heart attack and stroke risk, lower blood pressure, and may aid in preventing some types of cancer and dementia.

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Physician Profile

Roberta S. Gray, M.D., started quietly taking ethical stands many years ago. While attending medical

school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she became the first student to decline partici-pating in a live animal lab. After taking part in two horrific animal labs while studying physical therapy, one of which included drilling holes into the skulls of cats, she couldn’t bear to take part in a surgical lab as

part of her medical training and resolved to work to end this kind of abuse. After receiving her medical degree, Dr. Gray com-pleted her internship and residency in pediatrics at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City and served as chief resident there. She subsequently pursued fellowships in pediatric endocrinology and pediatric nephrology at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. Dr. Gray has held academic pediatric faculty positions at Duke University, Marshall University, East Carolina University, and Carolinas Medical Center. As a pediatric nephrologist, Dr. Gray has taken care of many children with chronic kidney conditions. She found that children with chronic kidney failure but not yet on dialysis could see great improvements with pro-tein restrictions, so Dr. Gray began recommending diets based on plant protein instead of animal protein. In these situations, families are highly motivated to help the child make dietary changes. Often, parents are so impressed with the benefits of a plant-based diet, the whole family adopts those healthier habits. Similarly, many children develop kidney stones due to their meat-heavy diets. Moving them toward a plant-based diet is an important part of management of patients with this condition. Dr. Gray now serves as chair of PCRM’s Physicians Steering Committee. She hosts PCRM’s Doctor’s Fo-rum conference calls, writes letters to the editor, and advises on PCRM activities.

Roberta S. Gray, M.D.

Working with Children and Animals

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Good Medicine - Autumn 2007