Milk and Yogurt Better for Bone Health Than Cream

Cream is not as effective as milk or yogurt in promoting bone health and combating osteoporosis.
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In the Framingham Offspring Study, 3,212 participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and were followed for hip fracture for 12 years. 2,506 participants had scans to see if they had decreased bone mineral density. The age range was from 26 to 85, with the mean age of 55 years.

Low bone-density puts the elderly at an increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures of the hip, spine and waist. Around one-fourth of those who have a broken hip die within the following year.

While all dairy products have nutrients important for bone health, cream and its cousins such as ice cream are not as effective, said Shivani Sahni, Ph.D., of the Musculoskeletal Research Team at the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife.

Those who had 2å_ to 3 servings a day of milk and yogurt had higher bone mineral density in their hips, although not in the spine.
The authors suggest choosing low-fat milk or yogurt in order to boost levels of protein, calcium and vitamin D.

So not all dairy products are equally beneficial for the skeleton. Now you know.