An Australian researcher who studied nutritional benefits of dairy food, was awarded the Danisco International Dairy Science Award by the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA). Congratulations to Dr. Parodi for this wonderful honor!
Dr Parodi, 74, is a world expert in dairy nutrition, particularly the role of dairy fat in human health. In 1977, he was the first person to discover the presence and determine the structure of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) – a major form of trans fatty acids in milk fat.
His work spans five decades uncovering the positive health benefits – and possibly the cancer-fighting properties – of dairy foods. Dr Parodi’s work in determining the structure and composition of milk fat was so important that in 1998 he was given the honor of naming a major trans fatty acid found in milk, which he called rumenic acid, after the cows’ stomach system, the rumen.
“For a scientist, exploring the unique properties and health benefits of dairy foods has been very rewarding,” he said.
His research has been supported by Australian dairy farmers through dairy research organizations – most recently Dairy Australia. Last year Dr Parodi was honored with the International Dairy Federation (IDF) award at its world summit in Dublin. He has been a recipient of dairy science’s most prestigious national awards – including the Award of Merit from the Australian Society of Australia and the Loftus Hill Dairy Science Award twice.
The annual international research and development award was established in 1980 and is judged by panel drawn from the ADSA. It recognizes outstanding accomplishments in chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, technology, and engineering pertaining to the dairy foods industries.
As we head into the summer months and temperatures begin to rise, producers need to monitor feed rations. Inevitably, dairy cows will go through an intake depression. Bill Mahanna, coordinator of global nutritional sciences for Pioneer, says we need to pay close attention to our starch digestibility – how much effective fiber is in the ration. Producers need to have a ration balanced properly at that lower-level intake.
Bill Mahanna on Heat Stress (4:15 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Previous Forage Forum podcasts are also archived at the Pioneer GrowingPoint website. To access them, go to www.pioneer.com/growingpoint and click “Livestock Nutrition” and “Forage Blog.” Those not registered for Pioneer GrowingPoint website can call 800-233-7333 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT for assistance.
The PEAQ (Predictive Equation for Alfalfa Quality) method was developed around the relative feed value (RFV) which looks at the quantity of fiber. Dr. Bill Mahanna, coordinator of global nutritional sciences for Pioneer, takes a look at determining not just the quantity of fiber but the digestibility of that fiber through RFQ or relative feed quality testing. Mahanna also comments on timing the first alfalfa cutting.
Bill Mahanna on Integrated Forage Program (5:30 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Previous Forage Forum podcasts are also archived at the Pioneer GrowingPoint website. To access them, go to www.pioneer.com/growingpoint and click “Livestock Nutrition” and “Forage Blog.” Those not registered for Pioneer GrowingPoint website can call 800-233-7333 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT for assistance.
A new study has added to the evidence that flavored milk is a great choice for children. Not only do flavored milks taste delicious, they are full of essential nutrients.
Using national survey data on more than 7,500 2- to 18-year-olds, researchers found that those who drank flavored milk had similar intakes of calcium, vitamin A, potassium and saturated fat as those who drank only plain milk. And both groups, the study found, got more of these nutrients than children who drank no milk at all.
One reason parents might be wary of chocolate or strawberry milk is that the added sugar might encourage excess weight gain. But in this study, milk drinkers and non-drinkers had a similar average body mass index (BMI), the researchers report in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
The findings suggest that flavored milk can be part of a sound diet for children, according to the research team, led by Mary M. Murphy, a nutrition science researcher with Arlington, Virginia-based ENVIRON International Corp.
The study, funded by the National Dairy Council, is based on results from a government health and nutrition survey. Murphy’s team found that among the 7,557 children and teens those who drank flavored milk tended to drink more milk per day than their peers who only consumed the plain variety.
Some flavored milks contain artificial sweeteners, but most do have extra sugar and calories. While low-fat plain milk contains about 100 calories per serving, a serving of low-fat chocolate milk has about 160 calories, Murphy and her colleagues point out.
Still, the researchers found no significant differences in the average BMI of milk drinkers and non-drinkers younger than 12. Among teenagers, those who drank milk had an average BMI that was comparable to or lower than that of their peers who shunned milk.
Since the 1960s, U.S. children’s milk consumption has fallen off, in favor of sugary sodas and sweetened juices, and some experts believe the trend is one of the factors driving the rising rate of childhood obesity. Until then, the researchers conclude, banning flavored milk from children’s diets “may only have the undesirable effect of further reducing intakes of many essential nutrients provided by milk.”
The newest value-added dairy product on the market is from Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. (DFA). The company has introduced Borden Essentials™, a cheese containing protective antioxidants, which help support a healthy immune system.
Borden is among the first packaged cheese to provide consumers with a source of antioxidants. DFA responded to consumers’ desire to increase antioxidants in their diets. According to the “2007 HealthFocus Trend Report,” more than 75 percent of moms believe that antioxidants improve or strengthen the immune system. Research from the U.S. National Institute of Health shows that protective antioxidants support a healthy immune system.
Antioxidants are molecules that protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Antioxidants, such as beta-carotene, lycopene, tocopherol and retinol, interact with and stabilize free radicals. Free radicals are formed through a process called oxidation which occurs when we eat, breathe or go out in the sun.
Two varieties of Borden Essentials are distributed nationally:
• 2% Singles – 16 individually wrapped slices in a 10 2/3-ounce package
• Mozzarella string cheese – 12 individually wrapped sticks, low-fat part-skim, in a 10-ounce package
Managing the gaps in today’s agriculture can be an issue, says Dr. Bill Mahanna, coordinator of global nutritional sciences for Pioneer. When visiting an operation, several factors come into play before a crop becomes feed. Pioneer can offer expertise to deal with the full continuum – managing the gaps between growing and cutting the feed to packing the silo and feed management. Mahanna comments on Pioneer’s integrated forage approach and the expertise available to producers.
Bill Mahanna on Integrated Forage Program (4:30 min MP3)
To see all archived Pioneer Forage Forum podcasts, click here.
Previous Forage Forum podcasts are also archived at the Pioneer GrowingPoint website. To access them, go to www.pioneer.com/growingpoint and click “Livestock Nutrition” and “Forage Blog.” Those not registered for Pioneer GrowingPoint website can call 800-233-7333 Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT for assistance.
More good news for flavored milk! A recent study released in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that children who drink flavored or plain milk consume more nutrients and have a lower or comparable body mass index (BMI a measure of body fatness) than children who don’t drink milk.
“Milk contains many nutrients that are important for children. We learned in our research that children who drink milk, including plain and flavored milk, have higher intakes of many nutrients that are low in children’s diets, and comparable or lower BMIs compared to children who don’t drink milk,” said Mary Murphy, MS, RD, co-author of the study. “Limiting access to flavored milks in schools and elsewhere may have the undesirable effect of further reducing intakes of many essential nutrients provided by milk.”
The study compared nutrient intakes and BMIs among 7,557 U.S. children and adolescents ages 2-18 years drinking flavored milk (with or without plain milk), exclusively plain milk and no milk. All comparisons were adjusted for the amount of calories reported as well as age allowing for differences to be examined based on equal consumption of calories and age distributions. Results showed milk drinkers (flavored and plain) had significantly higher intakes of vitamin A, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium than non-milk drinkers. In addition, BMI measures of milk drinkers were comparable to or lower than measures of non-milk drinkers. Intake of added sugars did not differ between flavored milk drinkers and non-milk drinkers. Among females 12-18 years of age, average calcium intakes by flavored milk drinkers and exclusively plain milk drinkers were nearly double the calcium intakes of non-milk drinkers.
Rachel Johnson, PhD, MPH, RD, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Professor of Nutrition at the University of Vermont, a co-author of the study noted, “Intakes of added sugars were comparable between flavored milk drinkers and non-milk drinkers confirming that the inclusion of flavored milk in the diet does not lead to significantly higher added sugar intakes by children and adolescents.”
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage children to enjoy three age-appropriate servings of low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese or yogurt each day.
Currently, less than half of children ages 2-8 and only about one-quarter of children ages 9-19 meet the recommended dairy food intake. Flavored milks can provide part of the solution for meeting these recommendations. According to the Dietary Guidelines, small amounts of sugars added to nutrient-rich foods, such as low-fat and fat-free dairy products, may increase a person’s intake of such foods by enhancing the taste of these products, thus improving nutrient intake without contributing excessive calories.2 In addition, the School Milk Pilot Test found that school milk consumption increased by 37 percent through specific improvements such as plastic packaging, one or more additional flavors, and better refrigeration and merchandising.
The folks in Calcium, N.Y. are now slimmer and healthier thanks to lowfat milk, exercise and the researchers at the University of Colorado at Denver. During a 16-week study, the community-based project called “Calcium Weighs In” provided residents of Calcium one-on-one nutrition counseling and group classes.
The battle against obesity in this country could be tackled one community at a time, according to a newly published study in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. Adults in Calcium, New York, who increased calcium intake by drinking more lowfat milk and other milk products and walked more frequently successfully lost weight after a 16-week overhaul.
In this innovative “Calcium Weighs In” community intervention, researchers overhauled the health habits of 199 men and women in a small, rural community of Calcium, New York. The free program provided one-on-one nutrition counseling and group classes, urging participants to set reasonable health goals, choose lowfat dairy foods including milk, cheese and yogurt and exceed a 10,000 step per day goal to increase physical activity.
At the end of the 16-week program, the 116 participants who completed the program lost an average of 13.2 pounds. Total dairy intake increased to nearly 3 servings per day, on average, meeting the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended goal.
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis will be starring in new ads for the Dannon yogurt Activia. The company plans to air commercials in two phases, with the second phase encouraging viewers to submit their “Acitivia Story”.
One of the spots shows Curtis relaxing on a couch with a newspaper. “First the bad news,” she says, showing the headline, and explaining that 87% of Americans suffer from digestive issues like irregularity. “Now the good news,” she says, showing a container of Activia. Tag: “Today, for tomorrow.”
Jeffrey Rothman, Activia brand director, says the target is primarily women because they suffer from digestive problems more frequently than men. “However, digestive health is an issue that impacts virtually everyone. And, we feel campaign has the power to influence everyone,” he says.
Rothman says that in the first phase Curtis helps the everyday person get comfortable with talking about digestive health as she discovers Activia. “In the second phase, she will be actively recruiting real people to submit their ‘Activia Story.’ It will be primarily executed on TV and online,” he says.
Posted: February 15, 2008 at 9:59 pm
By News Editor
Several schools in the Midwest have been recognized by the Midwest Dairy Council for their innovative breakfast programs and will receive grants to continue the enhancement of this valuable food service. The Hawthorne Elementary in the Sioux Falls, S.D. School District and the Anson Elementary in the Marshalltown, Iowas Community School District will both receive a $5,000 grant.
Hawthorne Elementary is helping to raise awareness of the importance of new ways to serve breakfast including dairy products. The school received a $5,000 award to use in enhancing their program, a “Read and Feed” initiative that includes a snack. Hawthorne’s grant will provide the opportunity to offer a pilot alternative breakfast program for those students that may not participate in the traditional cafeteria breakfast program.
Several other Iowa schools will also receive grants. Waukee Community School District received a $2,000 award for offering breakfast after the first bell, and Central Alternative High School in the Dubuque Community School District received a $1,000 award for its breakfast served in the classroom. Linn-Mar, Alta, Central Clinton and Knoxville Community School Districts each received $500 awards.
Midwest Dairy Council launched the award program last year. Offering breakfast in alternative ways increases participation by providing service for children who arrive late or who prefer to socialize rather than eat, and by helping to remove the potential social stigma that the program is meant for low-income students. School breakfast is the most cost-effective and fastest way to improve children’s learning and health. Breakfast at school reassures time-deprived parents that their children are receiving a nutritious morning meal.
“The benefits children receive from eating a nutritious breakfast are numerous and well-documented,” according to Carrie Scheidel, school nutrition program manager for Midwest Dairy Association. “Eating breakfast yields better student test scores, increases concentration and attendance, decreases disciplinary problems and more.”
Dairy is an important part of school breakfast, so encouraging new offerings in schools helps Midwest Dairy Association meet its goal of expanding sales and demand for dairy products.
Posted: February 12, 2008 at 6:05 pm
By News Editor
Two schools in N.J. have received the annual Leadership in School Nutrition (LISN) award and will be awarded $5,000 each to use toward future school nutrition efforts. The LISN grand prize winners were Union City School District of Union City, N.J., and Farmland Dairies of Wallington, N.J.
Since the single-serve plastic packaging, provided by Farmland Dairies, was implemented in the Union City’s 14 schools, milk consumption has risen to an estimated 1.5 million bottles per year and has become a regular part of the breakfast and lunch offerings. Equally significant, school meal participation among students has increased by 20 percent, which generates additional revenue for school foodservice programs.
Two other school districts and dairy processors were recognized for their partnerships. Second place LISN winners were Brownsville Independent School District of Brownsville, Texas, and Borden Milk Products LP of Austin, Texas. The school district installed new upright milk coolers that highlight the milk packaging and feature the Elsie the Cow mascot. Each organization received $2,000.
Third place winners were Arlington Heights School District 25 of Arlington Heights, Ill., and Kemps Dairy of Chicago. By using local sports heroes, heavily promoting flavor updates and working with Kemps to provide 8-oz., colorful packaging, the district raised milk sales by 9 percent and consumption by 13 percent. Each organization received $1,000.
Providing students milk that’s packaged in plastic, re-sealable bottles helps the dairy checkoff increase milk consumption and build lifelong dairy consumers. That’s why dairy producers, through their promotion investment, teamed up with Dairy Field magazine to sponsor the annual Leadership in School Nutrition (LISN) Awards. The LISN Awards help advance the producer-funded New Look of School Milk (NLSM) program by recognizing and promoting partnerships between individual dairy processors and schools that pave the way for school milk innovation by offering milk in plastic, single-serve bottles on the school meal line. To date, more than 9,200 schools nationwide participate in the checkoff-funded NLSM program, reaching more than 5 million students with single-serve milk on the school meal line. Since its inception six years ago, NLSM has accounted for more than 200 million pounds of incremental milk sales.
Posted: January 28, 2008 at 9:03 pm
By News Editor
A new label may soon be appearing on your food at the grocery store, a label called the Overall Nutritional Quality Index, or ONQI, score. The index was developed by a panel of nutrition experts and assigns a score of 1-100 to over 20,000 foods. The rating system is based on a complex algorithm that analyzes the nutritional makeup of the food.
“I’ve been counseling patients for 20 years, and I’ve seen the problems they face with real-life nutrition decisions. You need a Ph.D. in chemistry to find something healthy at the grocery store,” said David Katz, director of the Yale Griffin Prevention Research Center and developer of the rating system. Katz formed his own research group and with money from Yale’s Griffin Hospital, he developed a new labeling system.
In February, Topco Associates, a grocery distribution cooperative owned by independent grocers, joined Katz and offered to introduce the ONQI labels in stores belonging to its members. Topco grocers own about 13,000 stores nationwide, including the Raley’s chain, which is part of the first rollout.
Katz’s group isn’t the only one developing a new labeling system, although it will be the first to launch one nationwide. Maine-based Hannaford Supermarkets, a chain of grocery stores, will begin licensing its labeling system, called Guiding Stars, to other chains sometime next year. The Nutrient Rich Foods Coalition, a group made up of food producers and manufacturers, is also developing labeling guidelines. At the same time, diet and nutrition experts are pressuring the federal government to create a single labeling system that would be used on every product at every store. Some nutritionists worry that multiple labeling systems will just befuddle consumers even more than they already are.
The concerns are not lost on Katz, who acknowledges that there are limitations to the ONQI system. Over time, he said, he’d like to create labels specifically for people with certain health conditions, such as heart disease or diabetes. The goal of the ONQI system is to distill the nutrition information already available to consumers into a score that is simple and easy for shoppers to understand.
Posted: January 18, 2008 at 6:01 pm
By News Editor
The Milk Rocks! campaign now has power group Rascal Flattson-board, and one lucky winner will have their dream come true - the chance to sing live onstage with the band! The contest, “Be a Milk Rock Star” starts on March 1 and will include advertisements on milk carton sides and lunchroom posters in more than 95,000 elementary, middle and high schools across the country.
The “Be a milk rock star” push, part of the broader Milk Rocks! public service effort, promotes health and nutrition and was created by MilkMedia. The band will pre-record messages to fans explaining contest rules as well as nutritional facts about milk, which can be seen on milk cartons, school lunchroom posters and a Web site prior to the live concert.
Launching on March 1, 2008, Rascal Flatts fans can register on the Milk Rocks! Web site to select their favorite song (among five) and upload a karaoke-style video of the tune. The top 10 participants voted by the Milk Rocks! online community will win signed Gibson guitars, Rascal Flatts CDs and posters signed by the band. The winner will appear in concert with Rascal Flatts. The grand prize also includes hosting a concert Webcast from the customized Gibson guitar tour bus and meeting a rep of Lyric Street Records, Rascal Flatts’ label.
“We have the greatest fans in the world,” said Rascal Flatts band member Gary LeVox. “So giving our songs back to them, with the opportunity to join the band for a night, is the least we can do to say thanks. And since drinking milk is a big part of keeping our fans energized for our show, we’re happy to help Milk Rocks! get their message out there,” he said.
Posted: January 14, 2008 at 5:56 pm
By News Editor
Dannonwill introduce new yogurt offerings that will have benefits beyond basic nutrition, including probiotics. The two new products are called Light & Fit 0% Plus and DanActive Light, a new version of DanActive that has fewer than half the calories.
The two products, hitting stores this month, are the latest manifestation of the company’s “high-health strategy,” a concept of providing consumers with yogurt with benefits beyond basic nutrition. Previous efforts in that vein include probiotic yogurts Activia (in 2006), DanActive (2007) and Dannon Activia Light (2007).
“Our strategy focuses on the absence of negatives, in terms of calories, and the presence of positives, that is, the addition of nutrients and vitamins in diets,” said Andreas Ostermayr, CMO, Dannon, White Plains, N.Y.
Light & Fit 0% Plus ads launching next month will focus on “making every calorie count and adding nutrients into diets, rather than simply reducing calories,” said Ostermayr. Young & Rubicam, New York, handles.
The seven-SKU Light & Fit 0% Plus line retails between $2.59 and $4.69 for four- and eight-packs, and sports 60 calories per 4-oz. cup. “Consumers often have to sacrifice taste when eating light products,” said Ostermayr. “Our objective was to create a great tasting light yogurt that doesn’t taste light.” To achieve that goal, Dannon decided to go with a new proprietary blend of sweeteners that includes aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium and fructose.
A longtime runner-up to General Mills’ Yoplait in the U.S., Dannon appears to be benefiting from its focus on healthier yogurt. Activia has grown 48% to $181.3 million in sales, per IRI, for the 52-week period ending Dec. 2. DanActive experienced 185% growth, recording sales of $60 million during that period. Dannon Activia Light (2007) had 197.5% growth with sales of $57 million.
Nestlé has introduced a revolutionary fountain drink called Sjora - a refreshing mix of milk and juice. Sjora contains 10-percent milk and 5-percent juice and has just 90 calories per 8-ounce serving. Mad Greens, a made-to-order salad bar based in Colo. is one of a handful of restaurants testing the product nationwide.
Adding Sjora helps Mad Greens “round out our concept” as a healthy eatery, said Marley Hodgson, who co-founded Mad Greens with childhood friend Dan Long. Nestle, meanwhile, sees Sjora as a way to make itself into the Coca-Cola of healthier beverages at a time when consumers are growing wary of artificial flavors and corn syrup.
The international food company crafted Sjora as a “light-tasting, very refreshing” beverage that blends about 10 percent milk and 5 percent juice, said spokeswoman Kathy Lenkov. The company offers two flavors, tropical pineapple and mango peach, in regular and diet varieties.
While natural beverages like Honest Tea and Odwalla often are offered at quick-service restaurants in bottled form, Nestle is offering Sjora as a $1.50 fountain drink. That means it costs less, doesn’t take up precious shelf space and gives restaurants a larger cut of the profit.
“At a restaurant like Mad Greens, up to half the people purchasing food choose to take tap water because there isn’t a beverage choice for them,” Lenkov said. “This is a way to capture those customers.”
Kemps Dairy, part of H.P. Hood, has launched two new fresh milk products enriched with omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids have become increasingly popular among health-conscious consumers because of its widely publicized links to a wide-range of health benefits, including reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, good development of a baby during pregnancy, joint health, and improved behavior and mood.
The two new products, Kemps Plus Healthy Lifestyle and Kemps Plus Healthy Kids contain 32mg of Meg-3 per 236ml serving. In the past five years more than 3,000 omega-3 products have been launched worldwide, however the majority of these have been limited to Europe.
“Kemps Plus delivers relevant and unique new benefits to the milk category in the Upper Midwest,” said Rachel Kyllo, vice president of marketing at Kemps. “We are pleased to be partnering with Ocean Nutrition to deliver important new benefits to our consumers.”
Each serving of the Healthy Lifestyle drink reportedly contains 50 per cent more calcium that regular 1 per cent milks, while each serving of Healthy Kids contains 50 per cent more calcium that 2 per cent milks as well as being a source of vitamin C.
Dr. Jon Dickinson, an orthopedic surgeon from California, has been concerned about the calcium intake of Americans for several years. So, he decided to take action and has formulated a high-calcium beverage called Osteo. The drink includes 500 milligrams of soluble calcium in each 12-ounce bottle - about half of the minimum daily requirement.
The concept was to create a beverage loaded with calcium, vitamins and minerals in a tasty drink. Dickinson experimented in a makeshift lab in his Ross kitchen, using his four children as testers, until he came up with a blend of spring water, fruit juices and organic cane sugar. It retails for about $2.19 a bottle.
The product is geared for a mature market - one that is widely identified as being susceptible to osteoporosis and low bone mass.
But Dickinson says there is a broader market that includes children and teenagers, and he is planning to introduce a drink for a younger audience called Osteoblast in the spring.
Calcium comes naturally in milk, cheese and other dairy products as well as leafy green vegetables - foods that many people do not consume in adequate amounts.
By 2020, half of all Americans older than 50 will be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis and low bone mass if immediate action isn’t taken by individuals at risk, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Some 10 million Americans age 50 and older have osteoporosis and 34 million are at risk, according to a federal report. Each year, roughly 1.5 million people suffer a bone fracture related to osteoporosis.
“Osteoporosis is an epidemic among children and teenagers in the United States,” Dickinson said, adding that calcium is key to building healthy bones in young people. “It’s really important for children and teens to build the calcium stores.”
Only 13.5 percent of girls and 36.3 percent of boys from 12 to 19 years old in the United States get the recommended daily amount of calcium, according to the health department. Dr. Duane Alexander, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said preventing bone disease begins in childhood.
“With low calcium intake levels during these important bone growth periods, today’s children and teens are certain to face serious public health problems in the future,” Alexander said.
Dickinson is using his own money to get Osteoblast up and running and attractive to outside investors. “Companies like this take a while to become profitable,” Dickinson said. “It would be nice to break even in 2008, but I probably won’t.” He says his business is a winner now, whether or not it’s profitable. “If we can educate people more about the need for calcium, I’ve accomplished something,” he said.
Posted: December 10, 2007 at 9:02 pm
By News Editor
The results of an exciting study suggest that full-fat dairy products could lead to increased fertility in women seeking to become pregnant. The study, called the Nurses’ Health Study, contained more than 18,000 women. The study was part of a long-term research project looking at the effects of diet and other factors on the development of chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and other diseases.
Each of these women said she was trying to have a baby. Over eight years of follow-up, most of them did. About one in six women, though, had some trouble getting pregnant, including hundreds who experienced ovulatory infertility—a problem related to the maturation or release of a mature egg each month. When we compared their diets, exercise habits and other lifestyle choices with those of women who readily got pregnant, several key differences emerged. We have translated these differences into fertility-boosting strategies.
If you are having trouble getting pregnant, and ovulatory infertility is suspected, think of it as temporary health food. OK, maybe that’s going a bit too far. But a fascinating finding from the Nurses’ Health Study is that a daily serving or two of whole milk and foods made from whole milk—full-fat yogurt, cottage cheese, and, yes, even ice cream—seem to offer some protection against ovulatory infertility, while skim and low-fat milk do the opposite.
The results fly in the face of current standard nutrition advice. But they make sense when you consider what skim and low-fat milk do, and don’t, contain. Removing fat from milk radically changes its balance of sex hormones in a way that could tip the scales against ovulation and conception. Proteins added to make skim and low-fat milk look and taste “creamier” push it even farther away.
The depth and detail of the Nurses’ Health Study database allowed us to see which foods had the biggest effects. The most potent fertility food from the dairy case was, by far, whole milk, followed by ice cream. Sherbet and frozen yogurt, followed by low-fat yogurt, topped the list as the biggest contributors to ovulatory infertility. The more low-fat dairy products in a woman’s diet, the more likely she was to have had trouble getting pregnant. The more full-fat dairy products in a woman’s diet, the less likely she was to have had problems getting pregnant.
Posted: December 7, 2007 at 6:52 pm
By News Editor
What happens when today’s youngster get too little milk, sunshine and exercise? An anti-bone trifecta, that for some is leading to rickets, the soft-bone scourge of the 19th century.
But cases of full-blown rickets are just the red flag: Bone specialists say possibly millions of seemingly healthy children aren’t building as much strong bone as they should — a gap that may leave them more vulnerable to bone-cracking osteoporosis later in life than their grandparents are.
“This potentially is a time-bomb,” says Dr. Laura Tosi, bone health chief at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington.
Almost half of peak bone mass develops during adolescence, and the concern is that missing out on the strongest possible bones in childhood could haunt people decades later. By the 30s, bone is broken down faster than it’s rebuilt. Then it’s a race to maintain bone and avoid the thin bones of osteoporosis in old age.
“There’s some early data showing that even a 10 percent deficit in your bone mass when you finish your adolescent years can increase your potential risk of having osteoporosis and fractures as much as 50 percent,” says Dr. James Beaty, president of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Already there’s evidence that U.S. children break their arms more often today than four decades ago — girls 56 percent more, and boys 32 percent more, according to a Mayo Clinic study.
It’s not just that they don’t drink fortified milk. Bodies make vitamin D with sunlight. With teen computer use, urban youngsters without safe places to play outdoors and less school P.E., it’s no wonder D levels are low. Because skin pigment alters sun absorption, black children are particularly at risk.
Rickets marks the worst deficiency, where bones become so soft that legs literally bow. Rickets was once thought to have been eradicated with milk fortification, but “I am now treating rickets in a way that I never treated it 20 years ago,” says Tosi, who diagnoses rickets or super-low D levels in children every month at a bone clinic she runs for mostly inner-city children.
Posted: November 27, 2007 at 7:09 pm
By News Editor
With the holiday season upon us, many are feeling a strain on their wallets - but the folks at the California Milk Processor Board are reminding consumers that healthy, nutritious meals don’t have to break the bank.
Just in time for the holiday season, GOT MILK? has developed $10 to $15 and $20 meal ideas that can serve up to a family of six. Delicious recipes such as Silky Pasta Primavera and Chilean Pastel de Choclo which are rich in nutrients (many are made with milk!), convenient and inexpensive. The meal plans are easy to make and include holiday staples like mashed potatoes, fresh salads and low-fat desserts like Holiday Spice Pumpkin Mousse
“We want to do our part to educate consumers that nutritious meals do not have to cost a lot of money, ” says Steve James, Executive Director of the California Milk Processor Board (CMPB), the creators of GOT MILK?. “People do not have to give up calcium, protein and other vitamins. They just need to use ingredients that get the most nutrition bang for the buck and our holiday meal plans do that.”
An Australian researcher who studied nutritional benefits of dairy food, was awarded the Danisco International Dairy Science Award by the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA). Congratulations to Dr. Parodi for this wonderful honor!
As we head into the summer months and temperatures begin to rise, producers need to monitor feed rations. Inevitably, dairy cows will go through an intake depression. Bill Mahanna, coordinator of global nutritional sciences for Pioneer, says we need to pay close attention to our starch digestibility – how much effective fiber is in the ration. Producers need to have a ration balanced properly at that lower-level intake.
