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Educate your patients on the importance of 3-A-Day of Dairy: Here's
a great
tool (PDF: 618k) to show families how to get their 3-A-Day of Dairy
every day for stronger bones.
Developed in conjunction with The American Academy of Family
Physicians, The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Dietetic
Association, and The National Medical Association.
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Dairy Council Digest Archives
The Benefits of Dairy Foods in Health Promotion
Summary
Small dietary changes, such as increasing dairy food intake, can improve the nutritional quality of the diet and play a beneficial role in health promotion and disease prevention. According to a recent analysis, consuming 3 to 4 servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt a day contributes to a healthier population and substantial healthcare cost savings.
A large body of scientific research collected in recent decades demonstrates that an adequate intake of nutrients (e.g., calcium) from dairy foods such as milk, cheese, or yogurt positively affects bone health by increasing bone acquisition during growth, slowing age-related bone loss, and reducing osteoporotic fragility fractures. Based on this research and recognition of Americans' low intake of dairy foods and calcium, the dairy industry, with support from health professional partners, has initiated a nutrition-based marketing and educational campaign called "3-A-Day of Dairy for Stronger Bones" ( www.3aday.org ). The key message is to consume three or more daily servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt to help build and maintain strong bones and achieve overall health.
Two major studies – the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) – show that dairy foods are important components of diets associated with improved health outcomes. The DASH diet – a lowfat, calcium-rich diet that emphasizes lowfat dairy foods (2 to 3 servings/day), fruits (4-5 servings/day), vegetables (4-5 servings/day), grains, and lean meat – has been shown to substantially and quickly reduce blood pressure in persons with high-normal blood pressure. Consuming the DASH diet also reduces other heart disease risk factors such as blood total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and homocysteine levels. In addition, intake of this diet reduces the risk of stroke and osteoporosis.
Among overweight participants in the CARDIA study (a prospective investigation involving more than 3,000 young adults followed for 10 years), greater intake of dairy products was associated with a lower incidence of insulin resistance syndrome and its components (i.e., obesity, glucose intolerance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia). Each additional serving of dairy products was associated with a 21% lower likelihood of insulin resistance syndrome.
In addition to the above, numerous other investigations support dairy foods' beneficial role in reducing the risk of medical disorders, including hypertension, obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, some cancers (colon, breast), and dental caries.
Consuming 3 to 4 servings of dairy foods each day as part of a healthful diet could lead to healthcare cost savings of $26 billion in the first year and more than $200 billion over 5 years, according to a recent analysis. Using data from randomized controlled trials and prospective longitudinal studies, researchers evaluated the effects of increasing dairy food intake to optimal levels, mainly through dairy foods, on nine common medical disorders. Estimated improvements in outcomes were combined with data on yearly costs of the medical disorders. Based on the findings, the researchers concluded that consuming 3 to 4 servings of dairy foods a day contributes to improved health outcomes, which may substantially reduce the nation's escalating healthcare costs.
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