Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
You can't tell from the name, but PCRM is dedicated to animal rights. Among other activities, the group lobbies against animal research, touts the health benefits of meat-free diets and rails against dairy as a cancer-causer. It runs "The Cancer Project," which promotes a vegan diet through activities such as free cooking classes.
PCRM claims to have more than 100,000 members, including about 5,000 physicians. The group says it is funded by individual contributions and subscriptions to its quarterly magazine, Good Medicine, along with occasional grants from the federal government and private foundations.
The general public should understand that every position from PCRM stems from its commitment to animal rights, Rampton says. The group trumpets research showing that too much red meat can increase the risk of heart disease. But instead of encouraging moderation, the group recommends vegetarian diets. "It's healthy advice, but health doesn't seem to be their primary intention," Rampton says.
Dan Kinburn, general counsel for PCRM, says that the group always cites scientific data when it files a lawsuit or issues a press release. "Nobody has ever disputed the science," he says. "Instead, they attack our motives. We believe that a vegan diet is a superior diet. We don't think there's any good data that even small amounts of milk or meat are good for you."
--
Curious about a consumer health product? Send an e-mail to health@latimes.com. Read more at latimes.com/skeptic.
