Wednesday,
March 9, 2005 Posted: 6:14 PM EST (2314 GMT)
CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) -- Children who drink more milk
do not necessarily develop healthier bones, researchers said
on Monday in a report that stresses exercise and modest consumption
of calcium-rich foods such as tofu.
The U.S. government has gradually increased recommendations
for daily calcium intake, largely from dairy products, to
between 800 and 1,300 milligrams to promote healthy bones
and prevent osteoporosis.
But the report, published in the journal Pediatrics, said
boosting consumption of milk or other dairy products was not
necessarily the best way to provide the minimal calcium intake
of at least 400 milligrams per day.
Other ways to obtain the absorbable calcium found in one cup
of cow's milk include a cup of fortified orange juice, a cup
of cooked kale or turnip greens, two packages of instant oats,
two-thirds cup of tofu, or 1 2/3 cups of broccoli, the report
said.
In a review of 37 studies examining the impact of calcium
consumption on bone strength in children older than 7, researchers
at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington
found 27 did not support drinking more milk to boost calcium.
The PCRM identifies itself as a "research advocacy" group
which opposes unethical human experiments and promotes alternatives
to animal experiments.
"Currently, available evidence does not support nutrition
guidelines focused specifically on increasing milk or other
dairy product intake for promoting child and adolescent bone
mineralization," lead researcher Amy Lanou wrote.
Several studies, which examined such factors as bone density
and rate of fractures, concluded that exercise may be more
important than increased calcium consumption in developing
strong bones.
Data was scarce on the effect of calcium intake for children
younger than 7 years.
Dairy products provide 18 percent of the total energy and
25 percent of the total fat intake in the diets of American
children, who are developing increasing rates of obesity.
In an accompanying commentary, Frank Greer, a pediatrician
at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, said the ideal
way to achieve the goal of healthy bones is to make sure children
exercise and consume up to 1,300 milligrams a day of calcium.
The easiest way to get that calcium is from low-fat dairy
products, which also contain valuable nutrients such as vitamin
D, which is generally not available from other dietary sources,
he wrote.
