Milk in childhood cuts osteoporosis risk.

• Position: Skeletal System - Brief Article

Women who had a low milk intake during childhood and adolescence have lower bone mass in adulthood and greater risk of fracture--independent of their current milk or calcium intake, documents a Cincinnati (Ohio) Children's Research Foundation study. These findings support efforts to promote a diet containing one or more servings of milk per day for girls during early development to enhance bone mass accretion and density in adulthood, and to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fracture.

Conducted by Heidi Kalkwarf in the Division of General and Community Pediatrics, this study is significant since calcium supplements increase bone mass in children, but the effect does not persist once supplementation is discontinued. Milk consumption during childhood, on the other hand, appears to have a lasting benefit.

Despite the current emphasis on preventing osteoporosis by maximizing...