If you drink milk to keep your bones strong, there’s good logic in it. Milk and dairy products are concentrated calcium sources, and we know calcium fortifies bones and prevents osteoporosis.
However, can drinking too much milk make your bones more brittle? Researcher and dietitian Gail Cresci, PhD, RD, walks through whether or not it’s safe to drink a lot of milk.
Should I cut back on my milk intake?
A Swedish study suggests that while milk may be good, more is not better.
This study found that too much milk – three or more glasses a day – was not only associated with mortality but also an increased risk of fracture and hip fracture.
Plus, it found that women who reported drinking three or more glasses of milk each day nearly doubled their risk of death in relation to women who drank less than one glass each day. Men were not as affected as women, but those who drank three or more glasses of milk each day still showed a significant increase in mortality.
A separate study reported that higher milk and dairy product consumption does not necessarily lower the risk of osteoporosis and hip fracture as noted in cohort studies versus looking at case-control and cross-sectional studies.
Does this mean you shouldn’t drink milk? Don’t go shunning the jug just yet.
One study found that milk contributes to meet nutritional recommendations and may help protect against chronic diseases. Although it’s true that milk and dairy are among the most calcium-rich foods you can eat, there are other substances in milk that may warrant some moderation.
“While the Swedish study raises interesting questions, there is not strong enough evidence to warrant a restriction on milk,” says Dr. Cresci.
The importance of vitamin D and diet
Vitamin D and a diet filled with calcium is key to strong bones.
“Calcium is linked with bone health, but vitamin D promotes calcium absorption and maintains adequate blood levels of calcium and phosphate to allow for normal bone mineralization,” says Dr. Cresci.
Without enough vitamin D, bones can become thin and brittle and the formation of strong new bone can be prevented. Vitamin D protects older adults against osteoporosis. Your doctor may suggest you get a blood test done to figure out your vitamin D level. However, no such test exists for calcium levels.
While milk contains 300 mg of calcium per cup, there are many other good dietary sources to keep in mind. Make sure you’re eating an adequate amount of calcium by including cheese, yogurt, greens (collards, kale), soybeans, figs, broccoli, oranges, sardines and salmon (with bones) and many fortified foods into your food rotation.
“If you want to drink milk for strong bones, I recommend no more than one glass a day,” says Dr. Cresci. “Do this in addition to a mixed diet rich in calcium. If you are unable to consume adequate amounts in your diet, consider supplementation with about 1200 mg of calcium and 600 to 800 IU of vitamin D daily, especially in winter months.”
Milk and dairy consumption is associated with reduced risk of some chronic diseases and had a beneficial effect on bone mineral density, but not risk of bone fracture. Milk consumption has some evidence to support against chronic diseases (type 2 diabetes), cardiovascular disease (stroke) and some cancers (colorectal, bladder, gastric, breast).
Like most women, my mother got her information from doctors and health organizations who for years have touted milk as the key to healthy bones. But is dairy really the best source of calcium? The question stirs emotions on both sides of the debate. Dairy supporters revere milk as the perfect vehicle to transport calcium to bones. Those opposed argue that, among other things, proteins found in dairy products actually rob calcium from bone stores, making plant-based sources — and exercise — a better choice for healthy bones.
As a vegetarian, I’m frustrated by the mixed messages surrounding the question of dairy as the best source of calcium. In my quest to avoid sharing my grandmother’s fate, I’ve discovered that the issue is more about educating myself to make informed decisions than blindly swallowing anyone’s advice — even Mom’s. There’s much more to the story than Mom knew.
Milk: Does It Really Do a Body Good?
It turns out that the relationship between the proteins in dairy products and the calcium in bones is a rocky one. First of all, calcium appears to be ultimately pulled from bones to escort digested animal protein from any source — not just dairy products — on its trek through the body. Since the average American’s diet is protein-heavy to begin with, some experts say that eating lots of dairy foods may actually cause people to lose calcium. “When you eat a protein food, such as milk, you may be swallowing calcium, but you turn around and excrete calcium in your urine,” says Donna Herlock, MD, spokeswoman for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit advocacy group opposed to milk consumption.
Robert Heaney, MD, a professor of medicine at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., who specializes in bone biology, also shrugs off dairy dissenters. “The reason why dairy products work is that they contain not only calcium and protein but also phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin D, potassium, and other things associated with good bone health,” he says. “It’s the logical way to go.”
The Wonders of Workouts
My mother, clearly pro-dairy, consumes lots of calcium and is determined to fight osteoporosis head-on. For women about to turn 60, their bones are in great shape. But according to one recent study that dairy doubters add to their arsenal, they have more than milk to thank for that bragging right.
Too Little, Too Late?
But what about women, like myself, who frequented the library more than the athletic field — are my bones a lost cause? Not so, says Lloyd.
Bone is like skin; it’s constantly being regenerated. Kids need a lot of calcium because a bone’s densest part, the core, is formed during adolescence. But adults need calcium, too. Even though the core gets thinner as we age, calcium from foods we eat is deposited on the surface of bones, like rings on a tree. As the rings grow, the bone’s diameter expands, and it gets stronger.
Whether or not you get your calcium from dairy products, both sides of the debate agree that calcium is good no matter how it’s delivered. “If you have an inclination to avoid dairy and get your calcium elsewhere, you certainly can,” says Joan McGowan, PhD, director of the musculoskeletal diseases branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The growing popularity of calcium-fortified foods makes it easier than ever to meet your daily quota without dairy. The 300 milligrams of calcium that you’ll find in one cup of milk can also be obtained by drinking the same amount of calcium-fortified orange juice or by eating a cup of dried figs or a bowl of Total cereal topped with calcium-enriched soy milk. Toss a half-cup of tofu (the kind made with calcium sulfate) into a stir-fry, and you’ve added a whopping 434 milligrams of calcium to your day. Other calcium-rich foods include collard greens (226 milligrams per serving), baked beans (127 milligrams), kale (94 milligrams), and broccoli (72 milligrams).
Daily calcium recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences start at 1,300 milligrams for adolescents ages 9 to 18, fall to 1,000 milligrams for adults ages 19 to 50, and, finally, rise again to 1,200 milligrams for people 51 and over.
No Bones About It
Clearly, there is consensus that calcium is necessary for good health — but no consensus on whether calcium is best when consumed from dairy or other sources. My own decision has been to get my calcium fix in a variety of ways. I still treat myself to a slice of cheese pizza now and again, but I also pour calcium-enriched soy milk on my cereal, drink calcium-fortified orange juice, and load up on dark leafy greens.
When I told my mother I’d cut back on my milk consumption, I might as well have announced that I’d given up oxygen. But they have slowly gotten used to the idea. Now when I visit, instead of slipping me money to buy milk, she opens her denim purse, digs down deep, and hands over a bite-sized, foil-wrapped piece of chocolate — calcium-enriched, of course.