EFN

A new study reports that kids who consume plenty of dairy products and foods high in calcium will live longer lives.

A 65-year follow up of a study of the eating habits of British families in the 1930s determined that dairy products as well as a diet high in calcium made a difference to how long people lived. It seemed that the diet protected against death, particularly from stroke, supporting provision of free milk at school.

A diet high in calcium may cut the possibility of dying from stroke by as much as 60 per cent, they claim.

“Children whose family diet in the 1930s was high in calcium were at reduced risk of death from stroke,” they conclude. “Furthermore, childhood diets rich in dairy or calcium were associated with lower all-cause mortality in adulthood.”

Risk factors for heart disease begin in childhood, however there is little evidence of the effect dairy foods have on these risks. Some dairy products, like whole milk, butter and cheese, have a lot of saturated fat and cholesterol. Studies have also say that consuming these foods in adulthood leads to heart disease, researchers say.

While warning that other factors may play a part, for example socioeconomic differences, they concluded: “Children whose family diet in the 1930s was high in calcium were at reduced risk of death from stroke.

The research team advise that three servings of dairy foods – for instance, 200ml glass of milk, a pot of yogurt and a small piece of cheese can give all the calcium most people need every day.