Milk’s no bone builder

Results of a long-term study showed that milk consumption during adolescence will not protect you from fractures and poor bone health later in life. We all know the dairy industry want us to believe we need milk and keep telling us it’ll help our bones but it’s simply a lie. In fact, the researchers found that men consuming high amounts of milk during adolescence had a higher risk of hip fracture in adulthood. The study analysed data from more than 96,000 people who were followed for 22 years, including how frequently and in what quantities they consumed milk and cheese during their teenage years. We reach our peak bone mass in our early twenties and what we consume as teenagers can influence bone quality for the rest of our lives. During the 22 years of follow-up, men reported 490 hip fractures and women 1226. The study found no association between teenage milk consumption and hip fracture in women whilst in men, the risk for high milk consumers was slightly increased. In summary, milk consumption didn’t show any beneficial effect on bone health.

_{Feskanich et al., 2014. Milk consumption during teenage years and risk of hip fractures in older adults. JAMA Pediatrics. 168(1) 54-60.}