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Do you need to consume dairy for healthy bones? The evidence says no.
The Duchess of Cornwall recently unveiled the rebranded Royal Osteoporosis
Society. Highligint that bone health is positive - but there is still a lot of
confusion around its connection to diet. I applaud the Duchess of Cornwall for highlighting the issue of osteoporosis,
which can be a debilitating condition.
However, to cite dairy-free diets as harmful to bone health is just ignorant and
not based on scientific data. A healthy diet and lifestyle is fundamental to
preventing osteoporosis. Important nutrients for bone health include calcium,
potassium, magnesium, vitamin K and vitamin D, which can all be obtained on a
health plant-based/vegan diet.
The dairy industry has very successfully propagated the myth that dairy
consumption is essential for optimal calcium intake, yet lactose intolerance
(the inability to break down the sugar in milk) is common, affecting 50-95
percent of people in many non-Caucasian populations (Bayless, Brown, & Paige,
2017).
Consumption of dairy has not been shown to improve bone health or prevent
osteoporosis and bone fractures (Bischoff-Ferrari et al., 2011; Bolland et al.,
2015). In fact some studies find that milk consumption is associated with a
higher fracture rate (Michaëlsson et al., 2014). Consumption of milk in
adolescence does not appear to prevent fractures in later life (Feskanich,
Bischoff-Ferrari, Frazier, & Willett, 2014).
Detrimental health effects
The consumption of dairy has actually been more consistently linked with
detrimental effects on health. Dairy, including milk and cheese, is one of the
top sources of saturated fat in the typical Western diet. Diets high in
saturated fat increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia (Ludwig,
Willett, Volek, & Neuhouser, 2018).
The consumption of dairy products has been associated with an increased risk of
prostate cancer in men (Aune et al., 2015) and an increased risk of lung, breast
and ovarian cancer (Ji, Sundquist, & Sundquist, 2015). There are a number of
reasons why dairy may promote cancer, including the main milk protein, casein,
which in the laboratory has been shown to promote cancer growth (Youngman &
Campbell, 1991).
Dairy consumption elevates oestrogen levels in the blood, which promotes female
cancers (Michels, Binder, Courant, Franke, & Osterhues, 2019). Dairy, along with
other sources of animal protein, elevates blood levels of the hormone IGF-1,
which is a risk factor for cancer (Ma et al., 2001; Qin, He, & Xu, 2009). Vegans
have a lower levels of IGF-1 when compared to omnivores (Allen, Appleby, Davey,
& Key, 2002) and an overall lower rate of cancer (Dinu, Abbate, Gensini, Casini,
& Sofi, 2017). Milk consumption has also been implicated in the development of
acne in adolescence (Juhl et al., 2018).
Calcium intake
The optimal daily intake of calcium is also a matter of debate. 500mg per
day is probably adequate for bone health with 700mg per day for adults
recommended in the UK (Willett et al., 2019). A healthy plant-based diet can
provide adequate amounts of calcium as summarised here by the vegan society.
In fact, the recently published Eat-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet Health
accepts that dairy is not required in the diet (Willett et al., 2019) and
the 2019 Health Canada dietary guidelines to not include dairy as an
essential component of the diet (Health Canada, 2019).
For optimal bone health, everyone should make sure they are getting enough
vitamin D, which in the winter months when sun exposure is limited, may be
best obtained through supplements as recommended by Public Health England.
Vitamin K is also essential for bone health and can be obtained from leafy
green vegetables. Take care with protein consumption, as contrary to popular
belief, more is not always better and high protein diets, especially when
protein is from animal sources, have been associated with worse bone health
and higher fracture rates (Feskanich, Willett, Stampfer, & Colditz, 1996;
Sellmeyer, Stone, Sebastian, & Cummings, 2001).
Other lifestyle-related factors important for bone health include regular,
weight-bearing physical activity, avoiding tobacco smoking and minimising
alcohol consumption (Zhu & Prince, 2015).
In conclusion, medical evidence does not support the need for dairy in the
diet and its continued promotion by those in authority should be openly
challenged and underlying motives questioned.
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We began this archive as a means of assisting our visitors in answering many of their health and diet questions, and in encouraging them to take a pro-active part in their own health. We believe the articles and information contained herein are true, but are not presenting them as advice. We, personally, have found that a whole food vegan diet has helped our own health, and simply wish to share with others the things we have found. Each of us must make our own decisions, for it's our own body. If you have a health problem, see your own physician.