Do we really need to drink milk to protect our bones?
Let's look at some of the facts:
Countries with the highest consumption of milk like USA, Finland, Sweden and England have the highest rate of osteoporosis- fracture prone bones.
Calcium intake in rural china is one half that of people in America and bone fracture rate in rural china is one fifth that of people on America.
Some medical studies have found no association between calcium intake and fracture risk.
The 12 year long Harvard Nurses’ Health Study of 77,761 women aged 34 through 59 years of age found that those who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than those who rarely drank milk.
A 2014 study also showed that higher milk consumption during teenage years was not associated with a lower risk of hip fracture in older adults.
Animal protein, salt, caffeine produces more loss of calcium in urine. So even if we eat food that is high in calcium but also has high amount of salt or animal protein we lose most of that calcium in urine .
Food that creates acidic milieu in our body like high amount of red meat, sugar sweetened beverages, soft drinks, processed food many times leaches more calcium out of our bone.
So in short – No we do not absolutely need to drink lot of milk or eat dairy products to strengthen our bones.
If you like milk then it may be OK to drink one glass a day but if you are not a big fan of dairy then there are many other good alternatives to protect your bones.
What should we do then to protect and strengthen our bones?
Exercise, exercise, exercise- there is nothing more important than exercise to protect your bones. Always remember- Use it or lose it. If we don’t use our bones eventually we will lose them.
Eat lot of green leafy vegetables- Green leafy vegetables are nutrient powerhouse. Kale and collard greens are very good sources of calcium . They are high in Vitamin K which is another very important Vitamin to keep our bones healthy. Also green leafy vegetables create alkaline milieu in our blood which helps bone absorb more calcium.
Get enough of Vitamin D- Sunlight is the best source. In winter take some Vitamin D supplement.
Restrict animal protein, salty food, sugar sweetened and caffeinated beverages.
For more information on medical studies and references.
Check out:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/calcium-full-story/#calcium-from-milk