Milk linked to a healthy diet

22/06/05 Reaching for a glass of low fat milk instead of a soda could help you stay slim, suggests two new studies that show milk intake is associated with a lower body weight.

Soft drink intake is surging -- particularly among teenagers -- and studies pinpoint the swapping of milk for sugary sodas as a possible contributor to the rising rates of obesity. The findings of a new study conducted by researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University suggests that soft drinks and other sweetened beverages now contribute the largest number of calories in the diets of the more than two-thirds of Americans who drink them. Soft drinks provide as much as 14 percent of total daily calories.

Based on data collected in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the study found that those adults who regularly consume soft drinks and other sweetened beverages had a higher BMI or body mass index. Yet, those people who said they often drink lowfat milk tended to be less overweight.

Similarly, a new study published in the June issue of the American Academy of Pediatrics journal Pediatrics found that children who consumed more milk and milk products over the three-year investigation were more likely to have a lower BMI. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the multi-center trial called the Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC) attempted to change the diet and lifestyle patterns of more than 600 boys and girls ages 8 to 10 years. As a result of this work, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced a childhood obesity program "We Can!" that helps parents teach children to make healthful food choices including substituting fat-free or low fat milk for sweetened beverages such as soda.

An eating pattern that includes three glasses of milk a day is not only associated with being leaner, it also helps improve the overall nutritional quality of children's and adolescents' diets. Among adolescents, milk is the number one source of calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus, according to a recent analysis of food consumption patterns. Frequent users of soft drinks are more likely to be deficient in these nutrients, particularly calcium -- which is so crucial during these bone-building years.

A growing body of evidence suggests that getting adequate amounts of milk in the diet may help promote a healthy weight for both adults and children. In fact, experts now consider a low dairy intake a risk factor for being overweight or obese.

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