Results from the Framingham Offspring study examined how dairy products, including yogurt, milk, cheese and cream, were associated with bone mineral density (BMD) at femoral neck (FN), trochanter (TR) and spine. 3.212 Americans with an average age of 55 years participated in the frequency food questionnaires and were followed up for hip fractures incidences over 12 years. 2.506 participants in the study had DXA BMD.
4 yogurt servings a week
Dairy foods are a source of essential nutrients, but not all dairy products equally benefit bone health. The researchers concluded that milk and yogurt intake positively influence hip BMD, while this effect was not found for spine BMD. Compared to other dairy foods, only yogurt showed a higher BMD at TR. The consumption of 4 yogurt servings a week had a small, but protective effect for hip fractures. Cheese and cream were not associated with increased BMD, only cream had an inverse effect on FN-BMD.
