GOT MILK? We have all seen this advertising campaign encouraging Americans to consume milk to help the body grow big and strong. A diet rich in milk products is also promoted for reducing the risk of osteoporosis and related fractures. But is milk truly the cream of the crop when it comes to building strong and healthy bones? There is growing concern that milk can actually have detrimental effects on our health, including contributing to bone loss, increasing the risk of fractures and even mortality. A study published in the British Medical Journal using data from 2 large, long-term Swedish studies of adult men and women concluded the following:

Women who consumed 3 or more glasses of milk a day had a higher risk of fracture and a higher risk of death
Men who drank 3 or more glasses of milk a day had a slightly higher risk of death (mostly associated with cardiovascular death) and no reduced risk of fracture as milk consumption increased
In both men and women, the amount of milk consumed was also associated with higher levels of oxidative stress, which has been associated with aging, cancer and cardiovascular disease
The association between fractures and mortality and diary consumption was not seen in derivatives of milk such as cheese, yogurt, sour milk and other fermented products

The authors of the studies suggest that D-galactose, a sugar found in milk, may be culprit. In animal studies, D-galactose has been shown to accelerate biological signs of aging.
Though these findings are alarming, there is a mixed bag of results when it comes to the effects of dairy on bone health, with previous studies showing dairy to be beneficial in improving bone density. The result, more confusion for women desperately trying to reverse and prevent osteoporosis! But the truth is that you don’t need dairy to optimize bone health. Some of the largest animals on earth, horses and elephants, are herbivores and get the nutrients to maintain their bone structure from plants. Throughout human evolution, humans didn’t consume dairy, and although all mammalian infants drink their mothers’ milk, humans are the only mammals that drink milk as adults. To top it off, according to the National Digestive Disease Information Clearinghouse, 30-50 million Americans are lactose intolerant and milk allergy is the most commonly diagnosed food allergy in children. Let’s explore other ways to get calcium in our diets to build our bones!