Daily intake of calcium and vitamin D has long been standard practice to prevent osteoporosis. The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates half of all women older than 50 and up to one in four men will break a bone because of the disease.
However, new research in the journal Archives of Osteoporosis suggests not all dairy products are equally beneficial in promoting bone strength. Dairy intake —specifically milk and yogurt — is associated with higher bone mineral density, or BMD, in the hips but not the spine. Cream, on the other hand, may be associated with lower BMD overall.
“Dairy foods provide several important nutrients that are beneficial for bone health,” says lead author Shivani Sahni, Ph.D., Musculoskeletal Research Team, IFAR. “However, cream and its products such as ice cream have lower levels of these nutrients and have higher levels of fat and sugar. In this study, 2.5 – 3 servings of milk and yogurt intake per day were associated with better bone density. More research is needed to examine the role of cheese intake (some of which can be high in fat and sodium), and whether individual dairy foods have a significant impact in reducing fractures.”