Three to four servings of dairy foods each day can help people meet nutrient recommendations, as noted in the secondary analysis of recent NHANES data in the supplement to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition (JACN) published online this month. The analysis further contributes to the well-established evidence that consuming the recommended three servings of dairy foods each day is a convenient and affordable way to get several key nutrients of which many Americans fail to meet daily recommendations. In fact, it notes children and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 18 need on average four servings of dairy foods a day to meet their calcium recommendations, and at least three servings to meet magnesium recommendations.

In addition to the NHANES analysis, a review of milk products, diet patterns and blood pressure management in the supplement states that including dairy foods in a heart healthy diet can have a beneficial effect on blood pressure. The supplement also notes that dairy foods play a key role in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which has been shown to lower blood pressure and prevent hypertension. It also includes a review article, Dairy and Bone Health, which emphasizes that calcium, vitamin D, potassium, magnesium and other essential nutrients found in dairy foods are vital to bone health.