Adequate consumption of milk and dairy products at different life stages can help prevent various chronic diseases, a study has found.
Researchers said there is a positive link between the moderate intake of milk during pregnancy and birth weight, length, and bone mineral content during childhood.
In addition, a daily intake of milk and dairy products among elderly people may reduce the risk of frailty and sarcopenia, they said.
The study, published in the journal Advances in Nutrition, was conducted by scientists from different Spanish, European, and American universities, and coordinated by Angel Gil, professor at the University of Granada (UGR), and Rosa M Ortega of the Complutense University of Madrid.
The study reviews worldwide scientific literature on the role of dairy products in health and in the prevention of chronic diseases (cardiovascular, metabolic syndrome, colon or bladder cancer, and type 2 diabetes).
It also examines the effects of dairy products on growth, bone mineral density, generation of muscle mass, and during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Milk and dairy products contain multiple nutrients and contribute to meeting the nutritional requirement for protein, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, selenium, vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and pantothenic acid.
(PTI)
