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Nutrition & Product Information
Calcium Summit II
Q&A
Q: Is role modeling one of the best ways to reach our nation's youth and help them establish lifelong healthy eating patterns?
A: Based on research at Pennsylvania State University, there certainly is evidence that mothers' actions speak louder than their words. Mothers who routinely drink milk and make it available to their daughters have daughters who consume more milk and calcium. Both mothers and daughters who drink more milk consume fewer soft drinks.
Fisher, J.O., D.C. Mitchell, H. Smickilas-Wright, et al. J. Nutr. 131: 246, 2000.
Q: Is calcium better absorbed from vegetables than from dairy foods?
A: Calcium absorption from milk and other dairy products is about 32%, whereas calcium absorption from vegetables ranges from about 5% in spinach to more than 60% in some brassica vegetables such as broccoli. However, the high bioavailability of calcium from some vegetables cannot overcome their low calcium content. One would have to consume 2 1/4 cups of broccoli to obtain the same amount of calcium absorbed from one cup of milk.
Weaver, C.M. In: Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 8th ed. B.A. Bowen and R.M. Russell (Eds). Washington, D.C.: ILSI Press, 2001, p. 273.
Q: Do the lower rates of osteoporosis reported for some ethnic minority groups reflect under-diagnosis, given that these groups often do not seek medical care?
A: Limited access to health care may contribute in part to under-diagnosis of osteoporosis in some ethnic minority groups. Osteoporosis is not just a disease of Caucasians. Some ethnic minority groups such as African Americans are less likely to experience osteoporosis than other groups, but this disease is nevertheless a real problem for African Americans. Only recently have researchers begun to examine bone mass in adults of different ethnicities. African Americans may be at greater risk of other related diseases, such as high blood pressure or obesity.
Siris, E.S., P.D. Miller, E. Barrett-Conner, et al. JAMA 286: 2815, 2001.
Q: What is the problem with teens consuming soft drinks?
A: Consuming too much soda or any nutrient void beverage displaces milk from the diet (Heaney and Rafferty 2001). Because milk is the major dietary source of calcium, its displacement with soft drinks can jeopardize skeletal health (Whiting et al 2001). Also, a recent study links intake of soft drinks and fruit drinks with increased risk of obesity in children (Ludwig et al 2001).
Heaney, R.P., and K. Rafferty. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 74: 343, 2001. Whiting, S.J., A. Healey, and S. Psiuk, et al. Nutr. Res. 21: 1107, 2001. Ludwig, D.S., K.E. Peterson, and S.L. Gortmaker. Lancet 357: 505, 2001.
Q: Considering findings from marketing research showing that it is important to reach children where they are (e.g., at school, on the computer, etc), have any efforts been made to work with schools and school personnel to increase children's calcium intake?
A: Yes. National Dairy Council, since its inception over 85 years ago, has recognized that schools play a critical role in helping to shape the eating habits of children and adolescents. For years, National Dairy Council, along with other health professional and government agencies, has provided research-based nutrition education curriculum for the classroom. Today, Dairy Council, through its State/Regional representatives, is helping schools implement USDA's "Changing the Scene," a program that guides schools in creating healthy nutrition environments. The dairy industry works with school foodservice staff to make sure that all milk offered in schools is fresh, cold, good-tasting, and appealing to students.
Q: Do preoccupation with being thin and the misperception that all dairy foods are fattening contribute to low calcium intakes, especially among adolescent females?
A: Yes. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently acknowledged this concern and stated that"Šmany children and adolescents are unaware that low-fat milk contains at least as much calcium as whole milk" (AAP 1999). Studies have shown that children's calcium intake can be increased through dairy foods without increasing calorie or fat intake, body weight, or percent body fat (Chan et al 1995; Cadogan et al 1997). Further, calcium, and particularly dairy products, may play a beneficial role in controlling body fat and reducing risk for obesity (Lin et al 2000; Carruth and Skinner 2001).
American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Nutrition. Pediatrics 104: 1152, 1999. Chan, G.M., K. Hoffman, and M. McMurray. J. Pediatr. 126: 551, 1995. Cadogan, J., R. Eastell, N. Jones, et al. Br. Med. J. 315: 1255, 1997. Lin, Y.-C., R.M. Lyle, L.D. McCabe, et al. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 19: 754, 2000. Carruth, B.R., and J.D. Skinner. Int. J. Obesity 25: 559, 2001.
Q: Why are foods such as milk and other dairy products the preferred source of calcium?
A: Milk and other dairy foods not only are the major dietary source of calcium in the U.S., but these foods are nutrient dense, providing many other essential nutrients important for health (Miller et al 2001; NDC 2002). According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Healthy People 2010, "with current food selection practices, use of dairy products may constitute the difference between getting enough calcium in one's diet or not" (Healthy People 2010).
Miller, G.D., J.K. Jarvis, and L.D. McBean. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 20(suppl): 168s, 2001. National Dairy Council. Dairy Council Digest 73(1): 1, 2002. www.nationaldairycouncil.org U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010 (Conference Edition in Two Volumes). Washington, D.C. January 2000. www.health.gov/healthypeople .
Q: Should ethnic minority children and adolescents, many of whom are lactose maldigesters, avoid milk?
A: No. Numerous studies show that lactose maldigesters can comfortably consume one cup of milk with a meal or two cups of milk if consumed in divided doses with meals (NDC, McBean and Miller 1998). An investigation of African American adolescent girls, 82% of whom were lactose maldigesters, found that intake of 1,200 mg calcium/day from dairy foods did not cause any symptoms of intolerance (Pribila et al 2000). Avoiding or limiting calcium-rich dairy foods such as milk is particularly serious for minorities, many of whom are at high risk of calcium-related chronic diseases such as hypertension, stroke, and colon cancer in adulthood (NDC).
National Dairy Council. Lactose Intolerance & Minorities. The Real Story. www.nationaldairycouncil.org McBean, L.D., and G.D. Miller. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 98: 671, 1998. Pribila, B.A., S.R. Hertzler, B.R. Martin, et al. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 100: 524, 2000.
Q: Are flavored milks, such as chocolate milk, harmful to children?
A: No. On the contrary, the availability of flavored milks increases children's overall milk and nutrient intake. Flavored milks are well liked, especially by children and adolescents, and their intake is supported by parents, school food service directors, and health professionals (NDC). New research shows that U.S. children and adolescents who drink flavored milks not only have higher total milk intakes, but also higher calcium intakes and lower consumption of soft drinks (Johnson et. al. 2002).
National Dairy Council. Flavored Milk In Perspective. www.nationaldairycouncil.org Johnson, R.K., C. Frary, and M.Q. Wang. J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 102. In press, 2002.
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