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Nutrition & Product Information
Flavored Milk in Perspective
Nutrient Contribution of Flavored Milks
Like unflavored milks, flavored milks are nutrient dense foods containing a high proportion of nutrients in relation to their energy content (6, Table 1). Flavored milks have an excellent nutritional profile, providing significant amounts of high quality protein, calcium, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, niacin equivalents, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and, when added, vitamin D, as well as several other essential nutrients (6).
A comparison of the nutrient content of chocolate milk and unflavored milk at various fat levels reveals similar levels of most nutrients (Table 1). The main difference is chocolate milk's higher total carbohydrate content due to the addition of sucrose and/or high fructose corn syrup and consequently its higher energy (calorie) content. Chocolate milks contain about 2 to 4 teaspoons more sugar and about 60kcal more energy per 8-ounce servings than their unflavored counterparts (6). Also, a serving of chocolate milk contains slightly more fiber and iron than a serving of unflavored milk.
Milk and dairy products, including flavored milks, are the major source of calcium in the diet and account for 72% of the calcium available in the U.S. food supply (7). Each 8-ounce serving of chocolate milk provides 35% of the 800mg of calcium recommended for children ages 4 through 8, 23% of the 1,300mg calcium recommended for individuals 9 through 18 years, 30% of the 1,000mg calcium recommended for adults 19 through 50, and 25% of the 1,200mg calcium recommended for adults 51 years of age and older (6,8).
Government data indicate that many population groups fail to meet their daily calcium recommendations as set by the National Academy of Sciences (8,9). For example, 70% of preteen girls and 60% of preteen boys ages 6 to 11, and nearly 90% of teenage girls and almost 70% of teenage boys age 12 to 19 fall short of meeting their calcium needs (8,9). Consuming an adequate intake of calcium throughout life helps to reduce the risk of bone fractures in childhood and adolescence and osteoporosis in later adult years (10-12).
Recognizing children's low calcium intake, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement urging pediatricians to recommend milk, cheese, yogurt, and other calcium-rich foods for children's daily diets to help build their bone mass and prevent rickets (11). This policy statement recommends that children meet their calcium needs from food first, because eating patterns developed during childhood tend to be followed throughout life. Other experts agree that the best way to meet calcium needs is to consume foods naturally containing calcium (13,14).Chocolate and other flavored milks are foods that naturally contain high levels of calcium. Because dairy foods such as chocolate and other flavored milks provide essential nutrients important for health, their intake improves the overall nutritional adequacy of the diet (13,14).
One factor that has contributed to low calcium intake is the change in beverages available in the U.S. food supply over the past few decades (15, Figure 1). As shown in Figure 1, in 1970 there was far more milk than regular soft drinks available in the U.S. food supply. However, by 1995, the availability of regular soft drinks greatly exceeded that of milk (15). Although the availability of juice has not declined, soft drinks have grown at a much higher rate than juice (15).
Vitamin D-fortified flavored milk, as well as the unflavored version, is an important source of vitamin D. This vitamin enhances the body's absorption of calcium and helps to prevent rickets, a bone-weakening disease caused by vitamin D deficiency. Although rickets was virtually eradicated in the U.S. by the 1960s following vitamin D fortification of cow's milk, this disease is experiencing a resurgence in appearance in young children (16,17).
Offering flavored milk as part of school meal programs such as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) has been shown to increase milk and nutrient intake (18-20). When approximately 400 elementary school children in Pennsylvania were provided with an option of chocolate milk in school meals, more milk was consumed and intake of nutrients such as calcium and riboflavin increased (18). Likewise, when 6th grade students in an elementary school in New York City were provided with 1% fat chocolate flavored milk as part of the NSLP, children's milk and nutrient (e.g., calcium, riboflavin, phosphorus) intakes increased (20).
A relatively new approach to increase students' milk and nutrient intake is to provide low and nonfat milks, including flavored milks, in school vending machines (21). Although chocolate milk has been found to be the preferred flavor, tastes vary geographically. For example, in Boston, coffee flavored milk accounted for 30% of the school vending machine milk sales (21).
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