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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
DAIRY’S ROLE IN CHILDREN’S HEALTH & WELLNESS
Volume 76, Number 5 Sep/Oct 2005
Summary
Dairy products are not only important for children’s growth and development, but these foods also have beneficial roles in a variety of chronic diseases. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 3 cups/day of fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent milk products (e.g., cheese, yogurt) as part of a healthful diet for children 9 years of age and older and for some younger children who are physically active.
Milk, cheese, and yogurt are naturally nutrient-rich foods providing calcium, potassium, other minerals, vitamins, and protein essential for children’s growth and development. Studies in children and adolescents demonstrate that intake of dairy products improves the overall nutritional quality of the diet.
Findings from numerous investigations indicate that consuming recommended servings of dairy foods or dairy food nutrients such as calcium in childhood and adolescence helps to achieve genetically determined peak bone mass, reduce the risk of bone fractures during growth, and protect against osteoporosis and related fractures in later adult years. Intake of vitamin D-fortified milk and milk products may help reduce the risk of rickets and vitamin D insufficiency.
Childhood overweight is currently at its highest prevalence. Epidemiological studies have examined the relationship between dairy/calcium intake and body weight/fat in children. However, the findings are inconsistent due to failure to control for confounding variables (e.g., calorie intake), among other factors. Based on evidence to-date, consuming recommended amounts of dairy foods does not cause unhealthy weight gain in children and adolescents.
Excess body weight is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Preventing childhood overweight is therefore a public health priority. A new study found that intake of a diet rich in dairy products, fruits and vegetables during the preschool years has a favorable effect on blood pressure throughout childhood and early adolescence. Further research is needed to determine dairy’s effect on children’s body weight/fat and its role in obesity-related co-morbidities.
In addition to overweight, many children are undernourished. Concern about children’s insufficient intake of essential nutrients such as calcium and their declining intake of calcium-rich dairy foods such as milk has led to efforts to increase their consumption of dairy products. Such efforts include improving the look, temperature, taste, and availability of milk in schools and encouraging parents and other care providers to be positive role models by consuming dairy foods themselves and by making these foods readily available.
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