Regardless of what People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) claims, beer does not “Do a body good,” according to Boston University Clinical Assistant Professor Joan Salge-Blake.

Salge-Blake said low-fat milk or skim milk provides an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D, which are especially important for college students to consume as their bones continue to grow. She said while milk is a good source of protein and rich in nutrients, the same cannot be said about beer.

“There are no ways in which beer is healthier than milk,” Salge-Blake said.

Although PETA pulled their “Got Beer?” campaign two years ago, after groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) said the ads were irresponsible, they have re-instituted it on college campuses across the nation. Dan Shannon, the Vegan Outreach Coordinator for PETA, said PETA does not mean to anger MADD, but said he believes the organization misinterprets the advertisements.

“We respect MADD very much,” Shannon said. “We just don’t think they understand our message. It isn’t a pro-alcohol campaign, we are simply using beer as a metaphor to inform people to how bad milk is.”

However, Salge-Blake disagreed with even having the two beverages in the same sentence.

“[Milk and beer] shouldn’t even be compared,” said Salge-Blake, who is also the Dietetic Internship Director. “They have nothing in common except that they are both liquids.”

However, Shannon said beer and milk made an “interesting comparison.

“We hope that this campaign will make people think ‘Wait a minute, that can’t be right. Beer is better for you than milk?’ and then research it, and realize that it really is true,” Shannon said.

However, Salge-Blake responded to the statement, saying PETA was only comparing it using facts that were beneficial to their claim.

“PETA seems to be saying that because milk has some fat and beer has none means beer is better than milk,” Salge-Blake said. “But beer is full of calories, and all calories in excess will make you gain weight; any time you consume more calories than you burn off, you will gain weight.”

Though PETA is not yet running ads at BU, Shannon said he was sure they would soon, as the goal of the campaign is to reach all of the major universities.

“We think particularly college students need to understand that milk is dangerous, to health, cows and the environment,” Shannon said. “Obviously we are not saying that people should replace milk with beer. We don’t think that people are going to start drinking beer with breakfast as a result of our campaign.”

“Beer in moderation is good for you, while even one glass of milk supports animal abuse and harms your health,” according to Bruce Friedrich, PETA’s director of vegan outreach.

“The fact is that you can drink beer responsibly,” he said. “The same can’t be said of milk.”

Shannon admitted beer did not have some of the nutrients that were available to students in milk.

“Of course, milk does have things that beer doesn’t, but milk doesn’t have anything in it that you can’t get else where,” Shannon said.

He suggested fortified soy milk, which he said has all of the protein and calcium of dairy milk, as a substitute for cow’s milk.

PETA said they used this information in order to aid their initiative to get people to stop consuming animal products.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said one of the most important elements of a healthy diet is calcium. By consuming enough calcium now, children and teenagers can lower their risk of developing osteoporosis and fragile bones later in life, according to the USDA.