The Truth about Dairy According to Dr. Willett, who has done
many studies and reviewed the research on this topic, there are
many reasons to pass up milk, including: - Milk doesn’t reduce
fractures. Contrary to popular belief, eating dairy products has
never been shown to reduce fracture risk. In fact, according to
the Nurses’ Health Study dairy may increase risk of fractures by
50 percent! - Less dairy, better bones. Countries with lowest
rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and
Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis. - Calcium isn’t as
bone-protective as we thought. Studies of calcium
supplementation have shown no benefit in reducing fracture risk.
Vitamin D appears to be much more important than calcium in
preventing fractures. - Calcium may raise cancer risk. Research
shows that higher intakes of both calcium and dairy products may
increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer by 30 to 50 percent.
Plus, dairy consumption increases the body’s level of insulin-
like growth factor-1 (I