Got (too much) milk? Maybe

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Got (too much) milk? Maybe

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006604300363

The message is clear in all those dairy ads showing celebrities in white

mustaches: Drink your milk.

The national government's dietary guidelines agree, advising everyone

older than 8 to have three servings of fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt

or cheese daily.

But some well-respected physicians and nutritionists are questioning

that rule. They agree calcium is essential for strong bones and teeth.

Their question is how much and from what sources.

Two leading anti-milk voices are Dr. Walter Willett, nutritionist and

epidemiologist at Harvard School of Public Health, and T. Colin

, professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cornell

University. Both are from dairy-farming families, but their views have

entirely turned around because of their research.

Willett, who works closely with three of the biggest and longest-running

health studies in the country including the Nurses' Health Studies,

found that women getting the most calcium from dairy products had more

fractures than women who had less dairy — the opposite of conventional

wisdom. Most of the world doesn't consume dairy and has low rates of

fracture, he adds. Willett believes 500 to 700 milligrams of calcium

daily is probably plenty, while federal guidelines call for more,

depending on age.

Veggies and beans

Willett has been right before when he's challenged beliefs about food

and health. During the low-fat push, Willett countered that some fats,

such as olive oil, are healthy, while others aren't. He was ahead of the

curve when he correctly separated whole grains from less-healthy

carbohydrates, and he promoted exercise before the government added it

to the federal food pyramid.

, who has spent decades studying nutrition and summarized his

findings about diet and disease in last year's The China Study, believes

other foods, including vegetables and legumes, are better for bones —

and the rest of the body — than milk. His research has turned him to a

plant-based diet.

Even the late Dr. Spock reversed his pro-milk stance for

children in 1998 in his best-selling " Baby and Child Care " book.

Thousands of years ago, humans didn't consume cow's milk.

Many physicians and an osteoporosis researcher counter that dairy

products remain a convenient, efficient way to get calcium. They support

the recommendations from groups such as the American Academy of

Pediatrics and the National Osteoporosis Foundation, which agree with

the research-based U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines. They

encourage three servings a day of high-calcium foods, such as milk.

" I think it's sending the wrong message, " J. Puzas, a research

scientist and director of the Osteoporosis Center at the University of

Rochester, says of the anti-milk messages. It's fine to get calcium from

dairy or nondairy sources, including supplements, he said, but the

reality is that most Americans don't get enough.

The body needs a certain level of calcium concentration in the blood to

work properly. When calcium levels run low, the body removes calcium

from its bones. If that calcium is not replaced regularly, people end up

with weak bones and fractures, he explains.

Medical authorities and researchers all agree on one thing: Keeping

bones healthy requires more than calcium. " It's actually very

complicated, " said Dr. Siegrist, orthopedic surgeon at

Westfall Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center in Brighton, Monroe

County. " This is an evolving body of knowledge. "

--

ne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar@... >

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

" Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease "

" Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy "

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