Milk and bone loss - Osteoporosis Message Board

Canna · 11-10-2007, 08:39 AM

Hey this is for all you old posters who have done research and have more knowledge than me.. I am researching I am new at it.. am learning.. but it is time consuming. Since I was told I have osteoporosis I have been drinking fat free milk in the morning but I have read in some articles that if you are on calcium pills you don't drink milk.. so I am confused as I thought that i would be consuming more calcium that way .... can anyone help me out????

osteoblast · 11-10-2007, 09:26 AM

What you need to do is look at you total calcium intake- that is from both supplements and what you consume in your food and drink. You can find information regarding calcium by doing a little research . Then you can decide how you want to get your calcium needs met. Some people want calcium needs met through what they eat and drink only- and don't want to take supplements. Others get their calcium by a combination of what they eat, drink and take in supplements.

derkin · 11-10-2007, 04:48 PM

calcium isn't doing you much good if you do not take magnesium and vitamin D with it to help absorb and distribute it.

jacal5 · 11-11-2007, 06:10 AM

Studies shows that people who get calcium from half supplements and half food have better bone density. My friend's doc told her that calcium from milk doesn't get absorbed, and a nutritionist told me milk leaches calcium from the bones and yogurt is a better choice because it's fermented.

DesertBloom · 11-11-2007, 06:39 PM

Hi Canna: You've got an excellent question here, since this topic is constantly debated. I guess what it comes down to is what is best for you and which research you believe sounds the most believable or logical based on the results obtained from the various studies done on this.

I have an osteoporosis dr that believes that getting "all" of your calcium from your diet is the best way because it is more utilizable, but this is her opinion from the studies she has done at an osteo research lab. For some, getting all your calcium this way can be difficult, so adding supplements to diet is just fine. You do need to keep track of your "total" calcium intake or you could get too much, and calcium, like the others have mentioned is only 1 of the necessary vitamins and minerals you need for it to work.

I have hypercalcemia, so I have to really watch the amount I consume, but I don't drink much milk, I get all of it from other dairy and leafy greens etc. This is just a personal preference, but if you are looking for a simple way to get calcium, milk is high on that list for convenience, and the other health benefits.

I'm not one of the many that believes that milk leaches calcium from your bones, but that's not to say I'm right either. Below is a good article on this debate and a good explanation of the other benefits of milk on your body. I always thought that milk was pushed on us for it's calcium benefits for several reasons. It's thought that if you start a child out on milk they are less likely to turn to soda, and milk is also a very convenient way to get calcium. You don't have to cook it, or do much of anything except drink it so it's a very easy way to supplement into your diet.

What ever you decide on this should be based on what makes the most sense.

There are plenty of other sources of calcium that don't fall into the dairy category, but dairy products have many other healthful benefits besides building bones.

Read the link below which explains all of this much better than I can, and good luck with whatever you decide.

[url]http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/calcium.html[/url]