Relationship of bone growth with milk questioned by researchers

11/03/05 Researchers are questioning the opinion that dairy products provide the necessary dietary calcium required for bone growth. In a study conducted recently on collected information available that relates to growth of bones in children and adolescence and consumption of dairy products show little or no relationship between the two.

Children are often advised to take about 800 to 1500mg of calcium for their bone development. Taking dairy products in the diet is one of the most common way of taking in the dietary calcium. The researchers made a study of all the literature that had linked the development of bones to intake of dairy products. Those studies that met all the provisions for a scientific search, there were no significant relationship proved between milk or any other dairy intake to measures of bone health. Wherever there were even a slight positive relationship, results showed very small amount of change, or dairy products being fortified with vitamin D. Hence, the researchers are of the conclusion that there exists no scientific evidence saying that intake of dairy products as better source of calcium that may help in bone development.

The report was made by a group of researchers from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, in the journal Pediatrics.

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