Milk not always best for kids' bones
Children who drink more milk do not necessarily develop healthier bones, researchers say in a report that stresses exercise and modest consumption of calcium-rich foods like tofu.
The report, published in the current issue of the journal Pediatrics, says boosting consumption of milk or other dairy products was not necessarily the best way to provide enough calcium.
Other ways to obtain the absorbable calcium found in one cup of cow's milk include a cup of fortified orange juice, a cup of soy milk, a cup of cooked kale or turnip greens, two packs of instant oats, two-thirds of a cup of tofu, or one and two-thirds a cup of broccoli, the report says.
In a review of 37 studies examining the impact of calcium consumption on bone strength in children older than seven years old, researchers at the non-profit organisation Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington found 27 did not support drinking more milk to boost calcium.
In the rest of the studies the effects on bone health were small or were complicated by including milk fortified with vitamin D, or other factors.
"Currently, available evidence does not support nutrition guidelines focused specifically on increasing milk or other dairy product intake for promoting child and adolescent bone mineralisation," writes lead researcher and nutritionist Dr Amy Lanou.
Several studies, which examined such factors as bone density and rate of fractures, concluded that exercise may be more important than increased calcium consumption in developing strong bones.
Data was scarce on the effect of calcium intake for children younger than seven years.
In an accompanying commentary, Dr Frank Greer, a pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, says the ideal way to achieve the goal of healthy bones is to make sure children exercise and consume up to 1300 milligrams a day of calcium.
The easiest way to get that calcium is from low-fat dairy products, which also contain valuable nutrients such as vitamin D, which is generally not available from other dietary sources, he writes.