Did You Know That Milk Can Actually Contribute to Osteoporosis?

The idea that milk is a good source of calcium is an old bit of nutritionist guidance that is still being followed today. But there is a definite expiration date on some age-old advice, and milk being good for one’s bones might have reached the end of its shelf life.

The federal government presently recommends 2 1/2 cups of milk for children and 3 cups for adults. 1000 mgs is the daily recommendation given by NIH, and each cup of milk contains roughly 300 mg of calcium. Therefore, milk is often considered to be a high-content source.

Before we get into how milk might be depleting our calcium stores, you should know the following. Calcium is 99 percent of the time stored in our bones. Daily, our bodies pull calcium from the bones, which is then spent. Our bodies do not produce new calcium. It must be obtained through foods that we eat. This is why drinking milk has long been touted as being beneficial for the body.

What happens when you fail to replenish your stores of calcium? Your bones become brittle and you become prone to fractures. Calcium deficiency is frequently listed as a possible cause of osteoporosis. According to Orthopedic Associates, “Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease. It causes progressive bone loss and increases the risk of fractures. Osteoporosis is more common in women than men, and the incidence increases with age. Bone loss from osteoporosis can lead to fractures and disability.”

How milk might be causing osteoporosis

So now we know what calcium does and what osteoporosis is, what’s the connection between the two?

Because milk is an animal protein, in that it comes from an animal, it has an acidifying effect in the body. When the body is exposed to a very acidic food, it works to correct this imbalance by pulling from its stores of calcium to neutralize the acid. That’s right. Calcium is what the body uses to neutralize acidic foods. So instead of being good for our bones, milk actually serves to draw on our bones’ calcium stores as an acid neutralizer.

A research team in Sweden decided to examine the correlation between milk consumption and bone fractures. Their results showed a strong correlation between milk intake and a higher mortality and fracture incidence in women.

Another case, this one by Harvard Nurses Health Study, showed that drinking milk did not prevent against hip or other fractures. Which is a claim that milk proponents often make.

Foods to stock up on for better bone health

So if milk can’t give us the calcium we need, and can in fact make us worse off than before, where can we safely get the calcium we need?

Here are some options for you.

• 1 serving of collard greens – 360 mgs
• 1 serving of canned sardines – 325 mgs
• 1 serving of canned salmon – 180 mgs
• 1 serving of tofu 205 – mgs
• 1 serving of broccoli – 200 mgs
• 1 serving of kale – 180 mgs

But it’s not only calcium that you should be taking for healthy bones. Vitamin D is essential for bone health and is often forgotten in the manic focus that calcium receives. You can get vitamin D from the sun, but if you are concerned about the damaging effects of sun exposure, try these foods instead:

• egg yolks
• beef liver
• tuna
• mackerel
• salmon
• some vitamin D fortified foods, such as orange juice and cereals.

You can also take a vitamin supplement, both for calcium and vitamin D to help ensure you reach your daily targets. In fact, Harvard Health Publications suggests that you will probably need to take supplements to be sure you are getting enough.

The bottom line: Do you need to cut out milk entirely from your diet? Probably not. But you should probably stop thinking that it will prevent osteoporosis. And bolster your diet with a variety of other sources of calcium instead.