Foods4BetterHealth Reports on Whether Drinking Milk Can Protect Bones: Study
Boston, MA (PRWEB) December 23, 2013 -- Foods4BetterHealth.com, a food and nutrition web site based on the belief that healthy foods can prevent disease and illness, is reporting on a new study that found that, contrary to popular wisdom, there is no association between drinking milk as a teen and the prevention of hip fractures later in life.
As Foods4BetterHealth reports (http://www.foods4betterhealth.com/milk-for-bone-fractures-6665), a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics looked at the relationship between drinking milk in one’s teenage years and the risk of developing hip fractures later in life. Many health experts argue that the calcium in milk and dairy products helps strengthen bones, especially if one consumes enough during one’s teenage years, and that this can help prevent hip fractures later in life. The study looked at 96,000 participants over the age of 22. During the follow-up, there were 1,126 hip fractures in women and 490 in males (mostly from falls). The lead author of the study noted that they could not find a strong association between drinking milk in one’s teenage years and a reduced risk of hip fractures. (Source: Feskanich, D., et al., “Milk Consumption During Teenage Years and Risk of Hip Fractures in Older Adults,” JAMA Pediatr. Published online November 18, 2013.)
As the Foods4BetterHealth article “Why Drinking Milk Doesn’t Really Protect Your Bones,” notes, the researchers were surprised to find no association between the benefits of milk and the prevention of hip fractures, especially since this is commonly seen and understood as conventional wisdom. The lead author of the study, Diane Feskanich, noted that dietary recommendations should be reevaluated in light of studies like this one, which question the traditional wisdom behind dietary recommendations. (Source: “Drinking milk in teen years questioned for bone benefits,” CBC News web site, November 18, 2013; http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/drinking-milk-in-teens-years-questioned-for-bone-benefits-1.2431015.)
The Foods4BetterHealth report observes that current guidelines suggest that people between the ages of nine and 18 get 1,300 mg of calcium a day; people aged 19–50 years old get 1,000 mg of calcium, and those above 50 get 1,200 mg. Dr. Kevin McLaughlin, Foods4BetterHealth’s health and wellness specialist, also noted that while these recommendations are helpful, they are not enough to prevent hip fractures, falls, and the development of osteoporosis in older adults, because other factors, such as one’s lifestyle, impact one’s risk of those conditions—drinking milk is simply not enough. Dr. McLaughlin also says that exercising is vital to increasing one’s bone strength.
The Foods4BetterHealth report concludes that if a person wants to prevent fractures later in life, they must do more than just drink milk; this includes exercising and increasing their physical activity levels.
Foods4BetterHealth.com, created by Doctors Health Press, is a food news and health web site, offering readers information about the latest food controversies, exclusive expert advice, and health tips to ward off illness, prevent disease, and live a long, healthy life. For more information, visit http://www.foods4betterhealth.com.
Adrian Newman, Foods4BetterHealth, http://www.foods4betterhealth.com/, +1 905-266-0350, [email protected]
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