Dairy-rich diet reduces risk of falls and fractures in elderly, study finds

Findings have widespread implications as a public health measure’, researchers say

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Having a dairy-rich diet reduces the number of falls and fractures in older people living in residential care, a new study has found.

Researchers studying 60 care homes found increasing intake of foods rich in calcium and protein, such as milk and yoghurt, lowered the risk of all fractures by 33 per cent.

The findings have “widespread implications as a public health measure,” the researchers - based in Australia, the Netherlands and the US - said as they published their findings.

Scientists examined whether achieving recommended daily intakes of calcium (1,300 mg) and protein (1g per kg of body weight) from food sources would cut the risk of fragility fractures and falls among older adults in care homes.

The two-year trial – whose funders included eight dairy interest groups, such as the National Dairy Council and the Dairy Council of California - involved 60 aged care homes in Australia, housing 7,195 residents, mostly women, with an average age of 86.

Their vitamin D levels were high enough but their calcium and protein intakes were below recommended levels.

Half the residents were given extra milk, yoghurt and cheese, while the others continued with their usual diet.

A total of 324 fractures, 4,302 falls and 1,974 deaths occurred during the study period.

The research, published in the BMJ, found the dietary change was linked with risk reductions of 33 per cent for all fractures, 46 per cent for hip fractures, and 11 per cent for falls. There was no group difference in deaths.

The researchers said increasing calcium and protein intakes with dairy foods “is a readily accessible intervention that reduces risk of falls and fractures commonly occurring in institutionalised older adults”.

However, the study proved controversial with dairy sceptics, who have previously argued that dairy leeches calcium from the bones.

Shireen Kassam, a consultant haematologist and honorary senior lecturer at King’s College Hospital, London, said bone health was never down to one aspect of diet alone.

“The way to make studies look good is to have a comparative group that’s sub-optimal,” she said.

“Australia has a low consumption of fruit and veg, so I suspect the baseline diet wasn’t great and dairy could have been adding useful nutrients – but these aren’t nutrients that can’t be found in plant foods.

“You could have fortified soya milk or greens and beans, for example, that would have had equivalent protein and calcium - which is better packaged in plant foods.”

Dr Kassam said there were plenty of studies that showed emphasising plant protein even in elders was linked with better ageing, and highlighted other research suggesting dairy consumption was linked with prostate cancer and breast cancer.

Exercise was the number one way to prevent falls and fractures, she added.