Kids: Does Milk Really Help Bones?

There is much debate over whether long–term consumption of dairy products helps bones at all. A good deal of evidence suggests that it does not. Several studies of teenagers have found that their adult bone health is related to their physical activity level earlier in life, but not to the amount of milk or calcium they consumed.^1,2 Milk consumption is apparently no help later in life either. In an 18–year Harvard study of more than 72,000 women, neither milk nor a high–calcium diet appeared to reduce risk of hip fracture.¹⁶ Similarly, a 1994 study of elderly men and women in Sydney, Australia, showed that those who consumed the most dairy products had double the hip fracture rate of those who consumed the least.¹⁷

These findings indicate that despite the amount of calcium in dairy products, other dairy compounds accelerate calcium loss. Animal proteins and salt are two likely suspects. To make matters worse, in North America, dairy products are often consumed by people who already have high–salt, meat–based diets.

Cow's Milk Is Risky
Researchers have linked cow's milk consumption to a number of childhood ailments from minor to very serious. In children under the age of one, risks include iron deficiency, colic, and increased risk of type I diabetes. Naturally, the best beverage for infants and small toddlers is mother's breast milk. Even after the first year, food allergies to milk and milk products are common. A recent study also linked cow's milk consumption to chronic constipation in children.¹⁸ Many children and teens with irritable bowel syndrome, autism, asthma, and allergies improve when they stop drinking cow's milk.

Milk proteins, milk sugar, fat, and saturated fat found in dairy products may pose health risks for children and lead to chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, some types of cancer, and formation of atherosclerotic plaques that can lead to heart disease. The consumption of three servings of whole milk each day adds up to a total of 450 calories and more than 24 grams of fat, most of which is artery–clogging saturated fat.

The dairy industry often suggests that drinking milk or chocolate milk instead of soda will reduce problems with overweight, reduce sugar intake, and improve bone health. But the nutritional facts say otherwise. Two percent chocolate milk has 80 percent more calories and the same amount of sugar as an equivalent serving of cola.

Milk Makes Many Children Sick
Many children by age 5 or 6 have grown out of their ability to digest the milk sugar lactose. Drinking milk can cause stomach pain, gas, bloating, diarrhea, and other uncomfortable symptoms in lactose–intolerant children. There is no need to take pills or buy special lactose–reduced dairy products. Instead, you might look at this change as a signal that breast milk is no longer needed, and that cow's milk shouldn't take its place. It is a time to expand your child's diet to include a wide variety of plant–based foods.

Dairy Products Edge Out Healthier Foods
Plant foods are chock–full of important nutrients that strengthen immune function, improve bone strength, and protect against cancer and heart disease. For example, complex carbohydrates, vitamin C, fiber, folate, iron, and antioxidants are not found in dairy products, but are plentiful in vegetables, fruits, and beans. And plant food sources of calcium are low in saturated fat and always devoid of cholesterol.