I read with interest the letter from Andrew Miller in UA This Week ("Top Flight Schools Deserve a Better Approach to Lunch," Jan. 5, 2011).

After a career in pediatric nutrition and most recently in obesity and weight management, I welcome the opportunity to discuss the issue of flavored milk in schools.

Although I understand Miller's concern about sugar on its surface, for many reasons his attack on flavored milk is misdirected. Unfortunately, conversations about nutrition are almost always reduced to "things to avoid," such as fats, sodium and most recently, sugars. But quality nutrition is comprised of the total diet, not just a few nutrients.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans in 2005 and in 2010 cited five core food groups, one of which was low-fat milk and dairy, reflecting a national consensus among nutritionists that the nine nutrients found in milk are a crucial dietary foundation. Several of those nutrients, including protein, Vitamins A and D, calcium and phosphorus are "nutrients of concern" in the diets of American children.

Yet milk consumption has fallen steadily over the past three decades as the obesity epidemic has taken root, one fundamental reason why today's children are not just overweight, but also undernourished.

In the American Academy of Pediatrics, both the Committee on Nutrition and the Council on School Health, of which I am a member, have endorsed the use of flavored milk to encourage more consumption. Why? Importantly, sugar does not cause obesity; excess calories do. Milk consumption consistently is associated with lower body weight and fat.

Studies done on children who regularly consumed flavored milk did not show a higher weight gain than peers who did not drink milk, but did show a daily nutrient intake that far surpassed non-consumers.

In New York, when flavored milk was pulled from schools, consumption fell by more than 30 percent and remained low for over two years of the trial, an extremely poor dietary trade-off.

There is a critical difference between flavored milk and soft drinks. Flavored milk accounts for only 3 percent of a child's total sugar intake; whereas the sugars in soft and fruit drinks comprise over 10 percent of total calories. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recognize that all of us consume some discretionary sugar in our diet. Their recommendation is that we use sugar to encourage greater intake of foods of high nutritional quality. Milk is a poster child for this idea.

Finally, let me note that the flavored milks offered in America's schools are low-fat or no-fat, a type of milk that kids reject overwhelmingly. Yet the addition of a few teaspoons of added sugar masks the removal of saturated fat, which is a much greater health concern.

If the PTA wants to attack the problem of high-calorie, low-nutrient sources of sugars and fats in UA schools, look to the fundraisers, the candy and bake sales, the concession stands and classroom parties and rewards. In terms of nutrition, removal of flavored milk would be a costly mistake.

According to the Dispatch (Saturday, Jan. 8), Columbus Fire Chief Ned Pettus told the recent Division of Fire recruit class, "You will be taking care of people on one of the worst days of their lives."

Upper Arlington firefighters have done that, but are now being attacked by a city councilman who is misrepresenting the service they provide.

On Jan. 9 the Dispatch quoted David DeCapua's e-mail stating that UA firefighters work two days a week. Actually they work 56 hours a week, 24 hours on duty and 48 hours off. He also said they get yearly eight weeks of vacation. In fact, one battalion chief gets eight weeks; the average firefighter gets 5.4 weeks, a figure reflecting the number of personnel who have more than 20 years of service.

DeCapua mistakenly claimed that firefighters can retire after 25 years with full benefits and pension. They can retire after 25 years at a minimum age of 48 with a base pension drawn from the Ohio Police and Firefighters Pension Fun. Maximum pensions may be drawn after they served 33 years. The average pension drawn by retirees or their survivors is $30,000.

DeCapua notes that UA has a fire every three to five years. He does not credit an effective fire prevention program nor does he mention what firefighters do while waiting for that next fire.

Last year they responded to 7,100 emergency calls. How many lives were saved by the UAFD's quick response is hard to determine. Additionally, non-emergency programs are offered to the public: smoke detector and carbon monoxide inspections, blood pressure screenings, hydrant maintenance and flushing, station tours, school visitations, public speaking dates, etc.

Upper Arlington is a great city that has been served in the past by councils whose members exhibited honesty and integrity. Hopefully this council will continue that tradition.