Dive Brief:
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A new study suggests high calcium and vitamin D consumption could help prevent early menopause, according to FoodBev Media.
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Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study found those who consumed the most calcium had a 13% lower risk of starting menopause before they were 45 than those who consumed the least. Those who ate the most vitamin D had a 17% lower risk. The researchers looked at questionnaires from more than 100,000 U.S. registered nurses who were all younger than 42 when they started responding to surveys.
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The link to later menopause was strongest with calcium and vitamin D from dairy products. Supplements were not associated with a lower risk.
Dive Insight:
A growing number of women have cut dairy out of their diets in recent years. This has been driven by concerns over bovine growth hormones, animal welfare and digestive complaints — as well as a vastly improved selection of milk and dairy alternatives.
Women face a disproportionate risk of osteoporosis and decreased bone density after menopause. They need more calcium — 1,000 mg a day for women under 50 — but consume less dairy than men. In Australia and the U.K., public health advocates have warned that the increasing number of women avoiding dairy has reached “dangerous levels.”
Across all groups, milk consumption has been cut in half since the late 1970s, according to USDA figures. Farmgate milk prices have also plummeted.
Total dairy consumption has actually increased. Per capita yogurt consumption has reached nearly 15 pounds a year, up from just two pounds in 1975. However, yogurt is still not a major contributor to Americans’ total number of dairy servings.
The dairy industry is taking action to shift attention from liquid milk and is promoting protein-enhanced and other functional products, as well as the fresh and natural credentials of milk. This latest study, and others that support the benefits of dairy consumption, are likely to help the industry’s cause.
However, as more women embrace dietary recommendations to increase consumption of plant-based foods, the dairy industry — and early menopause researchers — may still have work to do to convince them that dairy is still important for women’s health.