I grew up eating breakfast the way many of you probably did. On school days, I had a big bowl of cereal before going outside to wait for the bus. Nowadays, cereal has taken a hit. It\u2019s common to talk about avoiding sugary, empty-carb laden foods like breakfast cereal. We are told whole grain cereals with little sugar added are a much healthier choice. But what about cereal\u2019s best friend\u2014milk?<\/p>\n
Wherever you look milk is touted as an energy packed, nutrient rich food. I remember learning the food pyramid as a kid and learning that dairy was part of a healthy, balanced diet. Kids need milk to grow, and for strong bones and teeth, right? I mean, milk is served as the beverage of choice in our nations school system. As a student, I remember happily drinking my carton of milk at every lunch. Did I grow up to be so tall and healthy because I drank my milk?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a deeper look into the issue and see if the facts line up. After all, milk is an $83 billion dollar industry in the United States alone. Worldwide, the annual revenue generated from dairy is $440 billion[1]<\/sup>. When you leave out the marketing, is there more to the picture than meets the eye? The truth may be murkier than you realize.<\/p>\n Milk for Strong Bones?<\/strong><\/p>\n Have you ever heard of osteoporosis? That\u2019s the medical term for porous bones[2]<\/sup>. Basically it means the bones have lost density, become more fragile, and are more likely to fracture. Osteoporosis is a huge problem, especially in the western world. In fact, about half of the world\u2019s women will fracture a bone at some point in their lives[3]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n While you may think of your bones as parts of a dry, hard skeleton, they are actually living and growing tissue. In fact, your bone is constantly being both formed and reabsorbed by your body. Osteoporosis occurs when your body begins to absorb more bone than it creates[4]<\/sup>. Calcium deficiency for extended periods of time is the biggest risk factor. Over time, low calcium intake is associated with \u201clow bone mass, rapid bone loss, and high fracture rates[5]<\/sup>\u201d. In order to prevent osteoporosis, women are encouraged to consume a high amount of calcium in their diet.<\/p>\n So what does this have to do with milk? Well, first off milk contains a lot of calcium. This is a well-known fact and the milk industry has promoted calcium supplementation as the single best reason to drink milk. Their argument is simple and goes something like this:<\/p>\n Upon first glance, the argument looks rock solid. However, when the evidence is examined, the facts tell quite a different story.<\/p>\n The Weight of the Evidence<\/strong><\/p>\n When gauging osteoporosis, the spine and hips are often measured because these bones carry a large portion of a person\u2019s weight. Thus, when these bones fracture, it is usually a sign of osteoporosis. According to the above argument, women drinking milk should logically have stronger bones and fewer hip fractures.<\/p>\n However, when we look at the rates of hip fracture in postmenopausal women, we find that hip fractures are the most prevalent among groups of women who consume the most dairy products. These populations include northern Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia. In contrast, people from rural Asia and Africa tend to have the lowest rates of osteoporosis. These people generally eat little or no dairy products and have lower overall calcium intake[6]<\/sup>.<\/p>\n Consider this table[7]<\/sup>:<\/p>\n\n