Nutrition and Health

• Take Steps Now to Prevent Osteoporosis
• Eating Dairy Lowers Systolic Blood Pressure
• Milk - The healthy punch
• Milk, Cheese and Yogurt: The Power of Nine
• Limiting dairy can cause weak bones
• DASH to the Diet - Hypertension and you
• Dairy products and immunity - There is a link
• Milk: What makes it so good for you?
• Calcium: Where else to find it besides milk
• So you're lactose intolerant - What does that mean?

Children

• 'D' ficient teens need more milk
• More Evidence That Milk Makes Bones Stronger
• Drink Milk: Your Kids Are Watching!
• Children and dairy - The earlier the better
• Dairy is key to promoting healthy bones
• Plenty of reasons to smile about flavored milk

Weight Control

• Dairy's role in weight management
• Moderate, regular eating decreases obesity risk
• Calcium enhances weight loss efforts

Health and Nutrition

Drink Milk: Your Kids Are Watching!

Research from the Pennsylvania State University found that girls ages 5 to 9 who met calcium recommendations by drinking milk had mothers who drank milk, too. The study measured the girls' and their moms' intakes of energy, calcium, milk, sweetened beverages, fruit juices and calorie-free beverages over five years.

Girls who met the calcium recommendation at age 9 had higher bone mineral density than those who did not. They also had mothers who drank more milk and served milk to their daughters more frequently than those who did not meet the calcium recommendation. Researchers conclude that what mothers choose to drink has a significant impact on their daughters' calcium intake and bone health.

A separate study using a similar population of girls at ages 5, 7 and 9 investigated the quality of children's diets and how it changes over time. Results showed that at age 5, 69 percent of the girls were meeting the recommended number of servings from dairy foods; however, this decreased significantly over time. By age 9, only 36 percent of the girls were meeting the recommendation. Results also showed that girls with high dairy food intakes at age 5 continued to have high dairy intakes over time.

Editor's note to parents: Enjoying dairy foods together when children are very young can have immediate and lasting positive effects on bone health and overall health.

Fisher J, et al. Calcium status during middle childhood reflects mother-daughter beverage choices and predicts bone mineral status. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2004; 79 (4):698.

Mannino M, et al. The quality of girls' diets declines and tracks across middle childhood. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2004; 1:5.