Is Milk Useful Against Osteoporosis?

Author: Marko Balašević Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

Consumption of three or more glasses of milk can increase the risk of osteoporosis and even endanger women's lives.

Consumption of milk has long been recommended by doctors and nutritionists because of its calcium content and maintaining bone strength . However, a large-scale study found that the benefits of milk in strengthening bones were small, while doubling the risk of early death in women .

For the study, 61,000 women and 45,000 men were observed over a period of 20 years, and according to the results, there was no reduction in bone fractures among those who consumed more milk.

Surprisingly, in women this is associated with an increased risk of fracture. Moreover, those who drink three or more glasses of milk a day - about 680 ml, are twice as likely to die prematurely than those who consume only one glass.

Milk has long been recommended against osteoporosis , providing a useful amount of calcium . The study's author, Prof. Carl Michaelson of the University of Uppsala, Sweden, explained that the results could challenge the validity of recommendations for consuming large amounts of milk to prevent fractures .

Calcium is needed to build bones, which suggests that milk may be helpful. However, according to researchers, the fat in it neutralizes the positive effect of calcium, while provoking inflammation and increasing the risk of heart attacks.

Low-fat dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt, are considered beneficial for bone health . However, British experts explain that it should be borne in mind that milk in Sweden is enriched with vitamin A , which may have affected the results.

The study is published in the British Medical Journal .

Is Milk Useful Against Osteoporosis?

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