Science / Medicine : Lifetime Milk Diet, Estrogen Build Bones

A lifetime of milk-drinking and high natural estrogen hormone levels in later life give a woman thicker bones and less vulnerability to osteoporosis and fractures, doctors say. Seven researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, Wayne State University in Detroit and East Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, N.C., studied blood from 174 healthy, postmenopausal women to check levels of an estrogen-like hormone called estrone.

They also measured the thickness of the women’s bones and calcium levels in their bodies and determined present and past consumption of calcium-rich foods and mineral supplements.

Their results, published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., showed, “a lifetime of adequate calcium levels, coupled with adequate levels of serum estrone could maximize bone density after menopause. “High estrogen level alone or high calcium intake alone was not sufficient to maximize bone density,” said the researchers.