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IT鈥橲 seen as one of life鈥檚 more wholesome libations. But drinking milk in large quantities may not be as good for general health and bones as we thought, according to a study of thousands of Swedish people.
The study, which tracked 61,433 women aged 39 to 74 over 20 years, and 45,339 men of similar age for 11 years, found that the more milk people drank, the more likely they were to die or experience a bone fracture during the study period.
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Women who said they drank three or more glasses of milk a day had almost double the chance of dying during the study period as those who reported only drinking one. A glass is defined as a 200 millilitre serving. They also had a 16 per cent higher chance of fracturing a bone anywhere in the body.
Men鈥檚 risks were lower. Those drinking three glasses had a 10 per cent higher chance of dying during the study (BMJ, ).
鈥淭hey鈥檙e provocative findings but these are the facts,鈥� says of Uppsala University in Sweden, who led the team. 鈥淭he amount is important. If you drink only small amounts, there鈥檚 no problem.鈥�
However, he cautions that the study only shows an association, it doesn鈥檛 prove that milk is causing the effects. If the results are proven, the most likely explanation is damaging inflammation caused by the digestion of sugars in the milk, says Micha毛lsson.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淢ilk鈥檚 bone benefits questioned鈥�