If you are one of the lucky few who doesn’t experience some degree of lactose intolerance, you’re in luck. According to a recent study, eating dairy can actually be pretty beneficial to our health—especially as we age. The reason? Staying mobile helps keep the body youthful, and for that, strong bones are key. But to keep our bones strong, we need to consume the right nutrients—and many of those are present in dairy.
Nutrition and aging
Although physiological changes are inevitable as we age, there’s no doubt that a healthy, well-balanced diet can keep bones strong, helping us stay active well past middle age. After all, nutrition is one of the most determining factors when it comes to preventing changes in body composition and cognitive decline.
“The processes of aging and metabolism are intricately linked,” explain nutrition professors Sydeena Isaacs, Ph.D. and Laurel Wentz, Ph.D. in a recent scientific analysis of the best foods for healthy aging. “Energy is required to sustain the body’s functions, including involuntary functions such as respiration and circulation as well as the energy needed for physical work,” they found, noting that these daily energy requirements can be reached through consuming adequate protein, carbohydrates, and fats—all of which are crucial for strong bones and greater mobility.
The importance of bone health
But how does bone health impact mobility? First, we must understand bone composition: “Bone is a complex structure comprised of protein, collagen, and mineral whose health can’t be reduced to single nutrients, especially considering the important contribution of genetics and exercise to bone mass and strength,” Wentz and Isaacs state. “In contrast to the view of bone as a static mineral, it is a living tissue with regular intervals of remodeling. Bone formation is coupled with bone resorption, as osteoblasts build bone at the same rate that osteoclasts resorb bone. This process is highly regulated and allows the ability to repair bone injury, respond to stress, and maintain calcium homeostasis.”
In other words, our bones are always changing. But as we age, our bones lose more minerals than they absorb, which in turn increases the risk of fractures. “While adolescence is the period of peak bone mass accumulation, older adulthood is characterized by declining bone mineral density,” the study states. In order to replace these lost minerals, we should consume more foods that “contain a mixture of nutrients” as we mature. “It is recommended to consume the recommended daily allowance of calcium of 1,000 to 1,200 mg per day from dietary sources,” Isaacs and Wentz find.
The best nutrients for bone health
Here’s where things get interesting: dairy foods meet many of these requirements. “Examples of foods to meet recommendations include milk, yogurt, and cheese,” the study states, noting that dairy “provides protein, vitamin D, vitamin K, magnesium, and potassium, all of which have a role in bone health.”
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