Eating plenty of dairy foods, meat, and other high-protein foods in childhood result in stronger and healthier bones in adolescence. Studies in the past have yielded mixed results on the effects of dairy or calcium supplements on bone health. To study the effects of usual childhood dairy intake on adolescent bone health, researchers from America analysed data from a study that followed 106 children for 12 years. The children were 3 to 5 years old at the beginning of the study. The researchers kept a track of food intake of the participants and took bone scans when they were 15 to 17 years old. It was found that those who took at least two servings of dairy food a day throughout their childhood had denser bones in their teens than their peers who ate less. Eating four or more servings of meat or other protein-rich foods also boosted bone density. The benefits were seen in several regions of the body, with higher bone mineral content in the arms, legs, trunk, ribs and pelvis, in particular. The above findings suggest that dairy and protein seem to have additive effects, with children who consumed the most of both types of food having the densest, largest bones; those who consumed the least had the thinnest bones. The findings of this study confirm the importance of a diet rich in dairy and other protein sources on bone mass in adolescents.
American Journal of Kidney Diseases
November 2008