To Archives

Health & Nutrition News Alert

July - August 2001 (Vol. 5 No. 4)

Whether You Are 2 or 62, Dairy Makes a Difference!
New research shows that people of all ages can benefit from the nutrients found in dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt.

Worried About Allergies? Yogurt May Be A Key for Moms-to-Be
Did you know that allergic dermatitis (itchy rash) is the most common skin condition in children younger than 11 years of age? New research supports that probiotics, “healthy bacteria” found in some Milk Group foods such as yogurt, may help in reducing the risk of developing allergies. A recent study looked at infants with a family history of allergies such as skin rash, asthma and hay fever to determine if probiotics may have potential preventative effects. Pregnant women were supplemented with Lactobacillus, the probiotics found in yogurt, during pregnancy. Their babies were additionally supplemented after birth for 6 months. The frequency of skin rash in infants who were given probiotics was half that of the children who were not. This study adds to a growing body of research on the potential health benefits of probiotics including improving intestinal tract health, enhancing the immune system, reducing lactose intolerance symptoms, increasing the absorption of various nutrients and possibly reducing certain cancers.

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. www.aaaai.org .

Kalliomaki, M. et al. Probiotics in primary prevention of atopic disease: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. The Lancet . 2001; 357: 1076-1079.

Kopp-Hoolihan, L, et al. Prophylactic and therapeutic uses of probiotics: A Review. Journal of the American Dietetic Association . 2001; 101:229.

Arunachalam, K, et al. Enhancement of natural immune function by dietary consumption of Bifidobacterium lactis (HN019). European Journal of Clinical Nutrition . 2000; 54:263.

Chiang, BL, et al. Enhancing immunity by dietary consumption of a probiotic lactic acid bacterium (Bifidobacterium lactis HN019), Optimization and definition of cellular immune responses. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition . 2000; 54:849.

Gill, HS, et al. Enhancement of natural and acquired immunity by Lactobacillus rhamnosus (HN001), Lactobacillus acidophilus (HN017) and Bifidobacterium lactis (HN019). British Journal of Nutrition . 2000; 83:167.

Healthy Meals Make for Model Behavior
Be your child’s biggest role model! Children may not want to admit it, but when it comes to food, they often make their choices based on what their parents eat. A recent study looked at 456 African-American parents to determine if teaching them healthy eating habits effected their overall family’s nutrition. The results found that those who were conscious of their eating habits positively influenced their kids eating habits. The researchers state: “African-Americans are at increased risk for cancer and other chronic diseases” and note that healthful dietary behaviors modeled by parents may have long-term implications for the development of childhood eating patterns. This study supports previous research that has shown the importance of role modeling on the healthy diets of children. Research that studied moms and their 5 year-old girls, showed moms who drink milk have daughters who drink more milk and fewer soft drinks.

Tibbs, et al. The relationship between parental modeling, eating patterns, and dietary intake among African-American parents. Journal of the American Dietetic Associ ation. 2001; 101: 535-541.

Fisher, J., et. al. Maternal influences on the trade-off between milk and soft drinks in young girls’ diets. J ournal of Nutrition . February 2001: 131 (2): 246-250.

Message to Girls: Get a Good Attitude About Healthy Diets!
Are you among the many parents whose teen daughter has an “attitude?” Teen girls’ “attitudes” about food may be more important than you think. New research found that attitudes about food may play a critical role in the bone health of young girls. Researchers monitored the eating attitudes and calcium intake of 45 girls ages 9 to 12 to determine a possible effect on bone mineral density. Girls who had higher calcium intakes and didn’t restrict food intakes had a higher bone density when compared to girls with lower calcium intakes and who carefully restricted their food intakes. The researchers conclude that unhealthy attitudes about the overall diet, such as food restriction may decrease bone growth and development. In fact, many teens mistakenly cut milk out of their diets for fear of fat and turned to diet soft drinks instead – robbing them of the calcium needed during prime bone-building years.

Barr, S.I. et al. Eating attitudes and habitual calcium intake in peripubertal girls are associated with initial bone mineral content and its change over 2 years. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research . 2001; 16: 1-8.

[Editor’s note: Milk contains calcium, vitamin D and 7 other essential nutrients. The National Academy of Science recommends children ages 9-18 consume 1,300 mg of calcium a day, or the amount found in 4 servings of milk or milk products.]

Dairy-rich DASH Diet Offers Help for Heart Disease
There are even more reasons now to get your 3-a-day of dairy. A new study supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute found that the DASH eating plan may help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The blood pressure benefits of the DASH diet have been well documented, including the original trial (NEJM, 1997). Now researchers reveal that DASH may significantly lower blood cholesterol levels – including total and LDL or “bad” cholesterol. The 436 participants in the multi-center study were randomly divided into three groups – two experimental dietary patterns and a control diet that is similar to what many Americans eat. One of the groups consumed a diet high in fruits and vegetables, while the other ate the DASH diet (which was rich in lowfat dairy products and fruits and vegetables). The men and women eating the DASH diet experienced the greatest drop in cholesterol levels. Compared to those on the control diet, individuals on the DASH plan reduced their total cholesterol on average by 13.7 mg/dL, or 7.3 percent, and their LDL cholesterol by 10.7 mg/dL or 9 percent. These changes did not differ significantly by race or baseline cholesterol, except for HDL, which decreased more in participants with a higher baseline HDL level. The DASH diet was lower in saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol and higher in protein and calcium compared to the other two diets.

Obarzanek, E et al. Effects on blood lipids of a blood pressure-lowering diet: the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition . 2001;74:80-9.

Two Nutrients in Milk and Milk Group Foods May Help Reduce the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
A recent study found that elderly people who consume low levels of vitamin B-12 and folate may have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who consume recommended levels. The study followed 370 people ages 75 and older for 3 years and found that the risk for developing the disease doubled among participants who had low levels of vitamin B-12 and folate in their blood when compared to those with normal levels. Milk is a good source of vitamin B-12 and also contains folate. One cup of milk provides 13 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin B-12. Previous studies have also shown that vitamin B-12 deficiency may lead to serious health problems such as anemia, dementia and nerve damage. Previous research has also shown that vitamin B-12 in dairy foods and cereals is better absorbed than the B-12 in other sources such as meat, fish and poultry.

Wang, H-X. et al. Vitamin B12 and folate in relation to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Neurology. 2001; 56: 1188-1194.

Tucker, L. K. et al. Plasma vitamin B-12 concentrations relate to intake source in the Framingham Offspring study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition . 2000; 71: 514-522.

###

You can rely on the National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council of (ADA/DC) Nebraska for credible, up-to-date news on dairy nutrition research, public policies on nutritional issues and special dairy nutrition campaigns. Please browse the Nutrition/Health Research tab for more information. If you need addition information or would like to schedule an interview, please contact Director of Nutrition Education Jennifer Meyer at (402) 592-3355 or toll free at (888) NEB-MILK.