Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Milk offers a variety of health benefits
The Greeks and Romans frequently identified barbarians as “milk drinkers.” The question is, are you?
With an annual milk production per dairy cow in the United States averaging 12,000 pounds per year and a world record milk production of 55,660 pounds for a single cow, it is evident that dairy is popular and being consumed in some fashion. So what’s the craze?
Milk offers a variety of health benefits, including playing a role in reducing the risk of obesity, heart disease and stroke, and insulin resistance with type 2 diabetes.
In addition, according to the National Dairy Council, three or more servings of fat-free or lowfat milk per day is shown to significantly reduce bone loss in older adults. There is evidence that substantiates increasing your consumption of dairy foods or calcium in order to lower the risk of hypertension or reduce blood pressure. Drinking milk is one form of carbohydrate that does not cause dental problems, and actually helps to protect teeth when certain types of cheese are consumed.
Some other benefits of dairy is the fact that it is fortified with vitamin D (mainly because most foods do not naturally contain it) and vitamin A (because vitamin A is removed with the milk fat when it is homogenized). Milk also naturally contains calcium, and Americans ages 19 or older require 1000 mg of calcium per day while Americans ages 51 or older require 1300 mg of calcium per day.
So, what if I don’t like dairy? Calcium has been added to some products such as orange juice for some time now, and there is always the option of taking a calcium supplement or Tums (which contains calcium) before you go to bed at night (studies indicate calcium is best absorbed by bone overnight). For non-milk drinkers who want to increase their calcium intake, try spinach, broccoli, tofu (if you can hack it), salmon, and fortified breakfast cereals or instant oatmeal.
For those who want to try something different containing dairy, consider “Breathe Palette,” a Japanese toothpaste, which makes a fresh yogurt flavor, or for fun consider trying “Korres Natural Products,” a beautifying yogurt mask that may have no health benefit at all ($28).
If what the National Dairy Council says is correct -- consuming three to four servings of dairy foods each day could lead to a potential $26 billion reduction in healthcare costs per year -- then the craze about dairy consumption is not only about assuming the personal health benefits, but it is also about contributing to lowering overall healthcare costs.
Whitney Bundy is a registered dietitian and Director of the Food & Nutrition Department at The William W. Backus Hospital. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Bundy and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
With an annual milk production per dairy cow in the United States averaging 12,000 pounds per year and a world record milk production of 55,660 pounds for a single cow, it is evident that dairy is popular and being consumed in some fashion. So what’s the craze?
Milk offers a variety of health benefits, including playing a role in reducing the risk of obesity, heart disease and stroke, and insulin resistance with type 2 diabetes.
In addition, according to the National Dairy Council, three or more servings of fat-free or lowfat milk per day is shown to significantly reduce bone loss in older adults. There is evidence that substantiates increasing your consumption of dairy foods or calcium in order to lower the risk of hypertension or reduce blood pressure. Drinking milk is one form of carbohydrate that does not cause dental problems, and actually helps to protect teeth when certain types of cheese are consumed.
Some other benefits of dairy is the fact that it is fortified with vitamin D (mainly because most foods do not naturally contain it) and vitamin A (because vitamin A is removed with the milk fat when it is homogenized). Milk also naturally contains calcium, and Americans ages 19 or older require 1000 mg of calcium per day while Americans ages 51 or older require 1300 mg of calcium per day.
So, what if I don’t like dairy? Calcium has been added to some products such as orange juice for some time now, and there is always the option of taking a calcium supplement or Tums (which contains calcium) before you go to bed at night (studies indicate calcium is best absorbed by bone overnight). For non-milk drinkers who want to increase their calcium intake, try spinach, broccoli, tofu (if you can hack it), salmon, and fortified breakfast cereals or instant oatmeal.
For those who want to try something different containing dairy, consider “Breathe Palette,” a Japanese toothpaste, which makes a fresh yogurt flavor, or for fun consider trying “Korres Natural Products,” a beautifying yogurt mask that may have no health benefit at all ($28).
If what the National Dairy Council says is correct -- consuming three to four servings of dairy foods each day could lead to a potential $26 billion reduction in healthcare costs per year -- then the craze about dairy consumption is not only about assuming the personal health benefits, but it is also about contributing to lowering overall healthcare costs.
Whitney Bundy is a registered dietitian and Director of the Food & Nutrition Department at The William W. Backus Hospital. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Bundy and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
# posted by ----------------- @ 6:04 AM 
