NDC Dairy: Food for Life Conference - Clarion Hotel, Dublin - 23 June 2009
Promoting the Benefits of Dairy Products to the Medical Community
Professor Moira O'Brien, President, Irish Osteoporosis Society
“Many people believe that osteoporosis is a disease which affects people who are older, and particularly ladies – but this is simply not correct,” according to Professor Moira O’Brien, President of the Irish Osteoporosis Society.
“Osteoporosis is not a disease just for old ladies”, said Professor O’Brien, who cited examples of teenagers, young men and athletes, all affected by osteoporosis.
One in five women over 50 and one in 5 men over 50 will get osteoporosis. Osteoporosis affects people of all age groups, including children and young adults. Therefore dairy products should be encouraged throughout life.
Teenagers are not building up bone to protect them in lager life, due to sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition, compounded by the “size zero” culture. Approximately 40% of teenagers do not get the daily amount of calcium they need.
Calcium alone is not enough – we also need vitamin D to aid absorption. In recent years the drive to use extremely strong sun block in the context of skin care, had resulted in a vast increase in vitamin D deficiency. Approximately 65% of senior citizens do not get the recommended vitamin D intake.
Osteoporosis – or brittle bone disease - is a disease which is preventable and treatable in the majority of people
Consuming dairy as part of a regular, balanced diet, is an essential part of preventing and treating osteoporosis because it provides us with calcium in a format that our bodies can easily absorb. The Irish Osteoporosis Society sends out the message that eating dairy products, especially low fat and fortified milks, are the best way for people to get their daily calcium and vitamin D requirements.
Unfortunately the message can get lost with poor or incorrect perceptions about dairy. The majority of my patients with high cholesterol and diabetes to name a few, have been told by doctors not to take dairy products, believing that ‘dairy is fattening’.
The fact that milk is the perfect food, is completely forgotten.
Fortified milk is actually suitable for people with high cholesterol. It is important to educate patients as well as the medical community that calcium and vitamin D help to prevent and treat osteoporosis and also for children help to improve muscle and nerve function.
Next year we will see osteoporosis as part of the Leaving Certificate included in the Home Economics programme, which will help to broaden education. But education does start in childhood and the NDC School Milk Programme should significantly help to increase the awareness of dairy products.
Having been involved in sports medicine for many years and working with the Olympic Games, I also have an interest in athletic performance. We are seeing research now that a glass of cold milk (or protein) within 10 minutes of stopping exercise, improves performance (Saltin, 2001). Improvements in aerobic capacity are going to improve performance. This is important information for athletes, combined with the decreased risk of stress fractures where there are healthy bones, so less injuries occur.
The Irish Osteoporosis Society and dairy share similar problems. There is a lot of misinformation about dairy and a lot of misinformation about osteoporosis. Dairy builds up essential proteins and does not make you put on weight. We need to try to get the right information to the public and also to the medical community and practice managers.