Exercise may play a bigger role in ensuring the growth of strong bones in children than consumption of milk and other dairy products, concludes a study conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a health-advocacy organization based in Washington.
An abstract of “Calcium, Dairy Products, and Bone Health in Children and Young Adults: A Reevaluation of the Evidence” is available online from Pediatrics.
The study, which reviewed 58 published reports on the relationship between dairy products and the risk of fractures, found little or no connection between dairy-product intake and improved bone health. In those studies that did show a relationship, the benefits to bone health were small. A few studies found a more positive relationship between bone health and physical exercise.
