yes, I always say when I see those "got milk" ads "Got stomach ache?" I do think they're pretty creative ads, though, and enjoy them for that, even if the message of promoting milk as a healthy food is not accurate.

when I was pregnant with my son, the nurse at the obstetrician's office told me my baby would have rickets (a vitamin D insufficiency results in curvature of the leg bones in children) when he was born because I didn't drink milk or eat milk products!! I was so upset, I spoke to the doctor. He said the reason why doctors always promote drinking milk for pregnant women is that it's a cheap source of PROTEIN and that fetuses need lots of protein to develop their brains and nervous systems; further, it's a LOUSY source of calcium, and the vitamin D in milk was added to milk years ago as some children were developing rickets because of an insufficiency of exposure to SUNLIGHT that causes vitamin D development through the skin (children in crowded tenement buildings in cities with little access to fresh air or sunlight). Milk also has vitamin A added in; I've even seen milk with vitamin C added into it!

So, if you get your protein through other sources, get calcium through green leafy vegetables, get enough exposure to sunlight to get vitamin D, and eat foods with vitamin A (think carrots and other "yellow" or "Orange" vegetables") and vitamin C (again, fruits and vegies) there really is no reason for adults to drink milk. or even children, for that matter. neither one of my children could tolerate cow's milk and did just fine without it. I did give them rice milk with added calcium in it as they both wouldn't eat much fresh green leafy vegies when they were young.