Milk consumption throughout life and bone mineral content and density in elderly men and women

Abstract

Summary Association between bone mineral density and bone mineral content in old age and milk consumption in adolescence, midlife, and old age was assessed. The association was strongest for milk consumption in midlife: those drinking milk daily or more often had higher bone mineral density and content in old age than those drinking milk seldom or never. Introduction The role of lifelong milk consumption for bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in old age is not clear. Here we assess the association between hip BMD and BMC in old age and milk consumption in adolescence, midlife, and current old age. Methods Participants of the Age, Gene/Environment Susceptibility-Reykjavik Study, aged 66–96 years (N=4,797), reported retrospective milk intake during adolescence and midlife as well as in current old age, using a validated food frequency questionnaire. BMC of femoral neck and trochanteric area was measured by volumetric quantitative computed tomography and BMD obtained. Association was assessed using linear regression models. Differences in BMC, bone volume, and BMD in relation to milk intake were portrayed as gender-specific Z-scores. Results Men consuming milk≥once/day during midlife had 0.21 higher Z-scores for BMD and 0.18 for BMC in femoral neck (95 % confidence interval 0.05–0.39 and 0.01–0.35, respectively) compared with<once/week. Results were comparable for trochanter. For women the results were similar, with slightly lower differences according to midlife milk consumption. For current and adolescent milk consumption, differences in Z-scores were smaller and only reached statistical significance in the case of BMD for current consumption in men, while this association was less pronounced for BMC. Conclusions Our data suggest that regular milk consumption throughout life, from adolescence to old age, is associated with higher BMC and BMD in old age, with no differences seen in bone volume. The strongest associations are seen for midlife milk consumption in both genders.

Cod liver oil consumption at different periods of life and bone mineral density in old age

“…However, according to Dwyer & Coleman ( 44 ) , foods with special characteristics (such as cod liver oil), can be recalled particularly well, and the question on midlife cod liver oil intake showed the highest validity of any food item in our FFQ. Also, midlife milk intake, an important covariate in the present study, was among the foods showing the highest correlation in validation studies of the FFQ ( 14 , 15 , 24 ) . Another limitation is that, although the most common portion of cod liver oil is the recommended spoonful, we did not have access to the absolute amount consumed.…”

“…Fish intake has also decreased considerably, which has resulted in minimal changes in vitamin A and D intake, as lean fish containing minimal amounts of these vitamins constituted about 80 % of total fish intake ( 22 , 23 ) . Changes in milk intake are mirrored in our AGES-FFQ data ( 24 ) .…”

Community-based interventions to increase dairy intake in healthy populations: a systematic review

“…In addition, calcium is necessary for the natural mineralization of the bones and the matrix of cartilage [4]. According to the evidence, calcium can also reduce the risk of osteoporosis in the older population [5][6][7][8]. In adulthood, consuming dairy is associated with the risk reduction for some chronic diseases [9,10].…”

Calcium and Dairy Products Consumption and Association with Total Hip Bone Mineral Density in Women from Kosovo

“…Numerous studies have shown benefits of dairy food consumption on bone health, reporting positive relationship between calcium intake and bone mineral density (BMD) (8-13); however, there are studies who did not find any consistent evidence on bone health (14-16). …”

“…Among many established risk factors of osteoporosis, nutritional factors offer particular opportunity for intervention ( 5 - 7 ). Numerous studies have shown benefits of dairy food consumption on bone health, reporting positive relationship between calcium intake and bone mineral density (BMD) ( 8 - 13 ); however, there are studies who did not find any consistent evidence on bone health ( 14 - 16 ).…”