Feb 23, 2004 13:38 ET

New Study Finds Children Who Avoid Milk Are More Likely to Break Bones, Be Overweight

-- First study to link lack of milk to increased fracture rates --

ROSEMONT, Ill., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study in the February issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that children who avoided milk were more likely to experience fractures and be overweight than a comparison group of more than 1,000 similarly aged children. The study is the first to link milk avoidance to increased fracture rates.


"Children who regularly avoided milk had lower bone mineral density and weighed more, which both increase fracture risk," said lead researcher Ailsa Goulding, Ph.D., FACN, professor, University of Otago, New Zealand. "Children and adolescents need 3-4 servings of dairy foods each day to help prevent broken bones now and chronic conditions like osteoporosis as adults."


The study compared the fracture histories of 50 children who avoided drinking milk for extended periods of time to a group of 1,000 children from the same city, Dunedin, New Zealand. The children who avoided milk did not eat calcium-rich food substitutes or supplements. Nearly one in three of the young milk-avoiders had broken a bone before they were eight years old, frequently from slight trauma such as a minor trip or fall. A recent report documented a significant increase in the number of forearm fractures in adolescent boys and girls over the last 30 years [2].


"Dairy foods like milk, cheese and yogurt are packed with nine essential nutrients that are necessary for strong bones, healthy teeth and better bodies," said Connie Diekman, R.D., director, University Nutrition, Washington University, St. Louis. "With the wide variety of dairy foods available, from low fat flavored milks to yogurt snacks and string cheese, parents and kids can choose from a number of convenient options for every taste and budget."


Dairy foods provide three quarters of the calcium in the diets of children and adolescents. The daily recommended intake (DRI) for calcium in adolescents aged 12-18 years is 1,300 mg -- the equivalent of four servings of milk, cheese or yogurt. For children ages 6-11, the DRI for calcium is 800 mg or three servings every day.


For more information on the benefits of dairy foods please visit nationaldairycouncil.org . For nutrition tips and easy recipe ideas, visit 3aday.org .


Sources:
1. Goulding A, et al. Children Who Avoid Drinking Cow's Milk Are at
Increased Risk for Prepubertal Bone Fractures. Journal of the American
Dietetic Association. 2004; 104(2):250-253.
2. Khosla S, et al. Incidence of Childhood Distal Forearm Fractures Over
30 Years. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;
290(11):1479-1485.

For More Information:
Tracy Sorrentino
312-240-2727

NDC Media Hotline
312-240-2880

Source: National Dairy Council

This is interesting. I always avoided milk (except for ice cream) and have been fat most of my life. I also had a broken collarbone when I was only 2. I fell out of a bunkbed.

I think I will be more diligent in making sure my DS's get enough dairy from now on.

Actually, I never drank milk or ate cheese as a child. I didn't get fat from that, I got fat from eating tons of pasta and rice and potatoes.
I've also never broken a bone, even though I was an accident prone child (toe caught in an escalator, flipped my bicycle over and landed on my back, and even bending my ankle the wrong way so it touched the outside of my leg! )

Milk hater here. My mother would use all sorts of bribes and inducements to try to get me to drink milk. I wouldn't touch the stuff without a quarter cup of Bosco added.

I always loved cream and butter and cheese, but not milk.

I STILL don't like milk. ... kefir, however ... well, that's a very different story.

Maggie
5'1" ~~ Atkins since '98 (160+)
Maintaining nicely (110 +/-)

~~Redhead until further notice! ~~

Raises my hand.. Heck.. I guess I didn't even like breast milk as a baby! LOL Although now I am a kefir addict! LOL

Kinda funny .. I have 2 children.. 1 who loves milk.. and is over weight (always has been).. and my other one who has problems drinking it (lactose intolerant) and is perfect weight!




"No more looking back and saying "what if", now I look forward and see success!"

Tanya
Way of Life since Jan 2003!
102 LBS GONE.. NEVER TO RETURN!
272/170/150<--(next goal)

I liked milk as a child and wasn't heavy. stopped drinking milk when i grew up except in coffee and the occasional hot milk to help me sleep. Hmm now I'm fat. maybe there's something to this. But I buy the carb countdown milk in half gallon containers and even though it lasts for weeks I throw at least a quart of it down the drain. I'm just not a milk drinker.

Rob
310/228.5/180
Me, a skeptic? I trust you have proof.