- THURSDAY, Aug. 14 (HealthDay News) — Having two or more servings
of dairy products a day starting as a preschooler may lead to better bone
health as an adolescent, a new report says.

The study, expected to be published in The Journal of
Pediatrics, found higher levels of bone mineral content and bone
density in teens who consumed dairy at least twice a day since the ages of
3 to 5. These adolescents' average bone mineral content was 175 grams
higher than adolescents who had consumed less than two dairy servings a
day, even after researchers adjusted the results for factors that affect
normal bone development, such as the child's growth, body size, and
activity level.

The study highlights the significant role dairy plays in childhood as
“a key source of proteins, calcium, and other micronutrients including
phosphorus and vitamin D,” study researcher Lynn Moore, of Boston
University School of Medicine, said in a news release issued by the
journal.

The researchers also found that children who combined their 2 or more
servings of dairy with 4 ounces of meat or other nondairy protein during a
day had bone mineral contents more than 300 grams higher than those
children with lower intakes of both dairy and other proteins.

The findings come from analyzing data and family food diaries from the
Framingham Children's Study, which gathered information from 106 children,
3 to 5 years of age at the beginning of the study, over a 12-year period.
Information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was also used to
determine the children's average daily intake of dairy and other foods.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about bone health.