Doctors vs. Milk

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has done a scientific review of 58 previously-published studies and concluded that milk's ability to build bone health is no more than a myth. According to nutritionist Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D., the lead author of this research: “A clear majority of the studies we examined for this review found no relationship between dairy or dietary calcium intake and measures of bone health. In the remaining reports, the evidence was sketchy. In some, the effects on bone health were small, and in others, the results were confounded by vitamin D intake from milk fortified with vitamin D." In the end, the researchers concluded that physical activity early in life appears to be a stronger predictor of bone health than dairy consumption.

According to the non-profit PCRM, the level of dairy product consumption in the United States is among the highest in the world and yet osteoporosis and fracture rates are also among the highest. This “calcium paradox” was an impetus for the current investigation.