Misleading Advertising

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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, is pretty well known for their controversial ads, they go to great lengths in an attempt to obtain better treatment for animals. In 2008, PETA created a billboard claiming a link between autism and dairy products. The ad stated that “Studies have shown a link between autism and cow’s milk”. The ad itself did not tell where one could go to find such studies, however Scientific Journal Articles on the same topic were pretty easy to find. The null hypothesis would be that there is no link between Autism and dairy products. The researcher’s hypothesis is also that there is no link between Autism and dairy products, but they were looking for one.

The Taylor and Francis Group, an informa business, published a study in 2006 titled Health Implications of Milk Containing β-Casein with the A2 Genetic Variant. The study goes over certain diseases and what their relationship with milk is. Milk can contain A1 β-Casein or A2 β-Casein, the majority of milk drunk by the public is A1. The A1 β-Casein has recently been put under the microscope as many people are trying to find a link between it and autism, as well as numerous other conditions. The authors of the Scientific Journal Article were trying to see if there was a correlation between dairy products and certain neurological conditions, including autism. There has not been a lot of studies done on this, and the article states multiple times that more information is needed. Despite this, the study states that “…preliminary data [have been] provocative…” (98, Health Implications). The article discusses a study done in 1999 by Zhongjie Sun and Robert Cade, where rats had been infused with different levels of β-casomorphin-7, or β-CM 7, a bio...

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...ded, and neither article proved a link. The Scientific Journal Articles discussed what could be done in further research, where PETA did not necessarily imply that more research was needed. Finding a link between Autism and dairy products could potentially help a lot of people, however, there has not been any significant evidence to prove the link.

References

Bell, S. J., Grochoski, G. T., & Clarke, A. J. (2006). Health Implications of Milk containing β-Casein with the A 2 Genetic Variant. Critical Reviews In Food Science & Nutrition, 46(1), 93-100. doi:10.1080/10408390591001144

Harrison Elder, J., Shankar, M., Shuster, J., Theriaque, D., Burns, S., & Sherrill, L. (2006). The Gluten-Free, Casein-Free Diet In Autism: Results of A Preliminary Double Blind Clinical Trial. Journal Of Autism & Developmental Disorders, 36(3), 413-420. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0079-0

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