Lack of milk blamed for bone tissue loss

Press, 26 December 1985, Page 19

Lack of milk blamed for bone tissue loss

By

CHRIS PETERS,

NZPA staff correspondent Sydney

More women are losing bone tissue earlier in life because they apparently have not been drinking enough milk, according to a leading Australian dental researcher.

Professor Elsdon Storey, S' sor of child dental at the University of Melbourne, said the phasing out of free milk at Australian schools was a retrograde step which will have serious health consequences in the future.

He told reporters there was evidence suggesting that increasing numbers of women aged in their 20s and 30s were losing bone at the rate of 1 or 2 per cent a year. “Studies suggest these women may not have had a sufficient intake of calcium earlier in life,” he said. “About three-quarters of the dietary calcium we need comes from dairy products, particularly milk.

“It is very difficult to get enough calcium out of the rest of your diet” According to the “Sydney Morning Herald,” Professor Storey suggested that an increasingly diet-conscious society was responsible for more girls aged 10 to 13 giving up milk. He said one in three women would be affected by osteoporosis — a condition where bones deter-

iorate and break, particularly in the vertebral column, spine, hip and jaw. Men were also affected, but to a much lesser extent. He said treatment of the condition in the United States was costing an estimated sAustsoo million a year. “You need an intake of between 400 and 800 milli-

grams of calcium a day, and 1200 for older people,” he said. “Many people just don’t get anywhere near that” Professor Storey and his team have been researching the relationship between diet and dental decay since

1972 and their findings contradict some popular myths. • Apples contain a large amount of sugar called fructose and “it is very hard to demonstrate an apple has a positive effect” • Bananas cause decay because they have a high sugar content and the banana becomes embedded between teeth.

• Between 50 and 60 brands of breakfast cereal contain up to 50 per cent sugar. • Some tinned soups are 25 per cent sugar and tomato sauce is up to 30 per cent sugar. • Canned fruits contain very large amounts of sugar.

He recommends eating a “detergent” vegetable after every meal, such as celery, carrot or lettuce to help rid the teeth of bacteria. He said milk could actually help repair damaged tooth enamel.