High intake of dairy products may improve bone health: Study

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Boston: Do you include dairy products like milk, yogurt and cheese in your daily diet? If not, then start doing so because a new study has revealed that higher intake of dairy products may improve bone mineral density and strengthen the spine.

Dairy intake seems to be most beneficial for men over age 50, and continues to have positive associations irrespective of serum vitamin D status, according to researchers, including one of Indian origin.

They said that dairy products are inked with higher volumetric bone mineral density and vertebral strength at the spine in men.

Shivani Sahni from Institute for Ageing Research in the US said,"This study related dairy intake with quantitative computed tomography (QCT) - derived bone measures, which are unique because they provide information on bone geometry and compartment-specific bone density that are key determinants of bone strength."

For the study, the researchers examined 1,522 men and 1,104 women aged 32-81 years.

They examined QCT measures of bone to determine associations with dairy intake.

"The results of this study highlight the beneficial role of a combination of dairy foods upon bone health and these beneficial associations remain irrespective of serum vitamin D status in a person," Sahni said.

The study was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Density.

(With PTI inputs)