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Drink Up: Women Need More Milk
Columbia, Mo. (Mar. 14, 2007) You heard it all the time as a child. You may even say it to your kids. "Drink your milk." But, how often do you drink milk? Only half of American women are getting the two to three daily servings recommended by The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). That's just three cups of milk or servings of yogurt or cheese to get the calcium and vitamin D your body needs.
"Vitamin D plays a major role in bone health and calcium absorption," says Beth Richards, director of the Missouri Arthritis and Osteoporosis Program. "Vitamin D allows calcium to enter the bloodstream from the intestine and works in the kidneys to reabsorb the calcium."
Calcium and vitamin D keep your bones strong and reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis--a condition when bones become thin, brittle and fragile.
In the United States, women are four times more likely to be affected by osteoporosis than men. More than 10 million people have the condition and almost 34 million more have low bone density, according to the Surgeon General.
Most people think osteoporosis is a disease of the elderly. But that's not true. Women around age 30 generally start to experience bone loss, which may lead to osteoporosis.
No matter what your age, you can take steps to prevent osteoporosis. During this National Nutrition Month give special attention to your diet, especially your calcium intake. You can strengthen your bones by just adding more milk and other dairy products to your diet.
To up your calcium intake and keep it up, eat what you like. Look for sources of calcium you enjoy - milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, soups and puddings made with milk, or even ice cream on occasion. The USDA recommends that dairy choices be fat-free or low-fat to get the calcium you need and still help you maintain a healthy weight. Don't go a day without dairy!
But what if you're lactose-intolerant? There are excellent non-dairy sources of calcium, too. Look for sardines or salmon with the bones, tofu, broccoli, fortified orange or grapefruit juice.
For some people, a balanced diet may still not provide enough calcium and a supplement may be needed. Ask your doctor if a calcium supplement would be right for you.
The prevention of osteoporosis is a lifelong process. And prevention begins with that extra glass of milk!
For more information on osteoporosis or self management and exercise classes, please contact your nearest Regional Arthritis Center or visit their Web site at
http://www.marrtc.org/community/regional.html
The Missouri Arthritis Research Rehabilitation and Training Center (MARRTC) was established in 1971 at the University of Missouri-Columbia Arthritis Center. MARRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (H133B031120) and is the only federally funded arthritis rehabilitation research and training center in the country.
As part of the MU Health Communication Research Center (HCRC), MARRTC's mission is to become a national leader in the areas of disability management and communication, improve the quality of life and promote independent living among people who have arthritis and arthritic conditions. MARRTC's core message is "Disability is everyone's issue."
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