Saturday, March 18, 2006

Skip the whole milk. Pass on soda. Drink beer?

Nutrition experts stir controversy with new beverage guidelines

Some prominent nutrition experts put out new guidelines Wednesday urging Americans to cut back on calorie-rich sodas while allowing more leeway for alcohol and lots of room for tea and coffee -- up to 40 ounces a day.

That's more than three tall cups at Starbucks, although that might bust suggested limits on caffeine.

They also allow men three times as much beer as sugary soda.
The report was paid for by the corporate parent of Lipton Tea, which is now using the scientists' advice to advertise tea's benefits.

The nutritionists say they didn't know the extent of Lipton's marketing campaign, and the company didn't play a role in the recommendations, which generally urge people to drink more water.

But beverage industry spokesmen and other nutritionists found fault with several of the guidelines. For example, whole milk is out, but moderate alcohol is OK.
In fact, the scientists say men can drink as much as 24 ounces of beer a day -- more than the 16 ounces of low-fat milk or soy drinks they suggest, and three times their recommended limit for fruit juice.

The beverage industry also seized on the accompanying marketing campaign by Lipton, a part of Unilever Health Institute, which gave about $40,000 to finance the report. The company plans full-page ads in USA Today featuring the guidelines with a coupon for $2 off tea.

Among the scientists who wrote the guidelines is Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and a widely quoted expert on numerous nutritional topics. He said he was unaware of the details of the marketing effort and wished it had not included such blatant promotion.

"This was sort of a new experience," he said of working with a private sponsor, whose $4,000 share of the fees he turned over to charity. Willett said the company had no role in what the scientists recommended.
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