Kathryn M. Borg (The Sunday Times, August 24) titled her article 'The dairy link with breast cancer'. She wrote that "there are so many conflicting reports about milk that it leaves the consumer confused and unsure whom to believe" and she argued that because the dairy industry has financial gain, then it must be biased. So she takes up the view of the anti-dairy campaign and people like Dr Justine Butler and her book published by the Vegetarian And Vegan Foundation (VVF). But when were vegans not biased against dairy? Does Ms Borg really believe that the views expressed by the VVF are unbiased and therefore correct?

If one researches the subject on the internet, most studies show that there is no link between dairy foods and breast cancer ( http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/31/1/78 or http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/abstract/24/suppl_6/556S ) while there are other studies which indicate that dairy products even reduce the risk of breast and colon cancers ( http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/12/2898 ).

There are also numerous studies which show that dairy intake reduces the risk of osteoporosis, that the minerals in dairy food lower blood pressure, and that dairy foods reduce the risk of dental cavities.

So is dairy a risk or a wonder food? And what about all other foods? How many contradictory notions have been dealt with by nutritionists? Is bread fattening or not? Is sugar a problem or are artificial sweeteners dangerous? And what about that prime vegetarian food, soya?

Do the phytoestrogens found in soya prevent or do they actually cause breast cancer? Who and what should we believe? A balanced diet which includes vegetables, meat, fish, fruit, bread and dairy products is the natural, and therefore the right, one for an omnivorous human being.

No vegan or vegetarian will convince me otherwise.

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