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Dairy Council Digest Archives

DAIRY'S BENEFICIAL ROLE IN WOMEN'S HEALTH
Volume 77, Number 2 Mar/Apr 2006
Introduction

Women account for slightly more than half (51.1%) of the population in the United States (1). According to a recent position statement issued by the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada, women are at unique risk for various diet-related diseases and conditions because of their specific nutritional needs (2).

The diets of a high proportion of U.S. women aged 19 years and over provide lower than recommended amounts of essential nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, vitamins A, B6, and K, and zinc (3). Only 12% of women consume calcium from food at levels greater than recommended (i.e., 1,000mg/day for 19-50 year old women and 1,200mg/day for those aged 51 and older) (3,4). Women’s low calcium intake is attributed in large part to their low intake of milk and other dairy foods. Females 20 years of age and over consume only 1.4 servings of dairy foods a day (5) compared to the recommended 3 servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt a day (6).

Dairy foods are the major source of calcium and provide eight additional essential nutrients, including protein, potassium, phosphorus, vitamins A, D (if fortified), and B12, riboflavin, and niacin (7-9). It is difficult to meet calcium needs when dairy products are reduced or eliminated from the diet (2,10,11). Because milk, cheese, and yogurt are naturally nutrient dense foods, their intake improves the overall nutritional quality of women’s diets (8,12-14).

This Digest reviews recent research indicating that consuming recommended intakes of Milk Group foods or milk’s nutrients (e.g., calcium) helps to reduce the risk of various diseases or disorders, many of which disproportionately or uniquely affect women (e.g., osteoporosis, obesity, stroke, premenstrual syndrome).