Nutrient Powerhouse

Milk is packed with nine essential nutrients important for your health. In fact, without milk in your diet, it's difficult to get the right amounts of the nutrients you need. Numerous studies have shown that milk drinkers have healthier diets compared to non-milk drinkers. Here's the powerful payback you get in every glass. One glass of fat free milk contains:

• 80 calories, 0 grams of fat
• 30% Calcium: Helps build and maintain strong bones and teeth; reduces the risk of stress fractures and osteoporosis. Plays a role in promoting normal blood pressure.
• 25% Vitamin D: Promotes the absorption of calcium for healthy bones. Maintains normal blood levels of calcium and phosphorus.
• 20% Phosphorus: Works with calcium and vitamin D to help keep bones strong.
• 20% Riboflavin: Helps convert food into energy. Plays a vital role in the development of the nervous system.
• 16% Protein: Helps build and maintain lean muscle; the high-quality protein in milk contains all of the essential amino acids (the building blocks for protein).
• 13% Vitamin B-12: Works closely with folate to make red blood cells. Helps maintain the central nervous system.
• 11% Potassium: Helps regulate the balance of fluids in your body. Plays a role in maintaining normal blood pressure.
• 10% Vitamin A: Supports good vision, healthy skin and maintains integrity of immune system.
• 10% Niacin (niacin equivalents): Helps enzymes function normally in your body.

Percent Daily Values for 8-ounce glass of fat free milk. Daily Values were developed by the Food and Drug Administration and reflect current nutrition recommendations for a 2,000 calorie a day diet.

References:

• Bowman SA. Beverage choices of young females: changes and impact on nutrient intakes. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002;102:1234.
• Cotton PA, et al. Dietary sources of nutrients among US adults, 1994 to 1996. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004;104:92.
• Douglass J, et al. Associations between patterns of beverage consumption and nutrient intakes and BMI in the U.S. FASEB J. 2007;A833.5.
• Weinberg LG, et al. Nutrient contributions of dairy foods in the United States, Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals, 1994-1996, 1998. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004;104:895.

Fitness and Recovery

Staying active and eating right is key to getting fit and maintaining a healthy weight - and it's important to think about what you drink. Regular exercise and a healthy diet that includes drinking lowfat or fat free milk instead of sugary drinks is not only a healthier choice, it can also help you look and feel your best. In fact, studies suggest that teens who drink milk instead of sugary drinks tend to be leaner than teens who drink little or no milk.

Milk is a nutrient-packed "fitness drink" that plays an important role as part of a recovery routine. Milk is a great choice after exercise because it contains a unique mix of nutrients that help muscles refuel, which may help you get back in the game. Milk has high-quality protein to build lean muscle, calcium to keep bones strong, electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium and calcium that are lost in sweat, and fluids to help with hydration. Several recent studies found that drinking lowfat milk after exercise offered an advantage compared to water or traditional sports drinks when it comes to staying hydrated after strenuous exercise. Plus, milk is a good source of the B vitamins riboflavin, niacin and vitamin B-12. B vitamins help your body convert food into energy.

In one study, researchers at Indiana University found that endurance cyclists who drank lowfat chocolate milk after an intense period of cycling were able to work out longer and with more power during a second workout compared to when the same athletes drank a carbohydrate replacement beverage, and just as long as when they consumed a traditional fluid replacement beverage.

A second study found that men who reached for reduced-fat milk or flavored milk after a strenuous muscle workout had less exercise-induced muscle damage compared to men who followed their workouts with water or typical sports drink.

Another recent study found lowfat chocolate milk is an effective post-exercise recovery aid for soccer players. Post-exercise consumption of lowfat chocolate milk was found to provide equal or possibly superior muscle recovery compared to a high-carbohydrate recovery beverage with the same amount of calories.

References:

• Cockburn E, et al. Acute milk-based protein-CHO supplementation attenuates exercise-induced muscle damage. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2008;33:775.
• Elliot TA, et al. Milk ingestion stimulates net muscle protein synthesis following resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2006;38:667.
• Gilson SF, Saunders MJ, Moran CW, Corriere DF, Moore RW, Womack CJ, Todd MK. Effects of chocolate milk consumption on markers of muscle recovery during intensified soccer training. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2009;41:S577.
• Hartman JW, et al. Consumption of fat-free fluid milk following resistance exercise promotes greater lean mass accretion than soy or carbohydrate consumption in young novice male weightlifters. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86:373.
• Karp JR, et al. Chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery aid. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2006;16:78.
• Novotny R, et al. Dairy intake is associated with lower body fat and soda intake with greater weight in adolescent girls. J Nutr. 2004;134:1905.
• Shirreffs SM, et al. Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink. Br J Nutr. 2007;98:173.
• Striegel-Moore RH, et al. Correlates of beverage intake in adolescent girls: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study. J Pediatr. 2006;148:183.
• Watson P, et al. A comparison of the effects of milk and a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink on the restoration of fluid balance and exercise capacity in a hot, humid environment. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2008;104:633.
• Wilkinson SB, et al. Consumption of fluid skim milk promotes greater muscle protein accretion after resistance exercise than does consumption of an isonitrogenous and isoenergetic soy-protein beverage. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85:1031.

Looking Your Best

Being active, eating right and drinking three glasses of lowfat or fat free milk every day may help you maintain a healthy weight and look your best. Plus, the protein in milk can build muscle to help you stay toned and fit.

Studies suggest that teens who drink nutrient-rich milk instead of sugary drinks tend to be leaner than teens who drink little or no milk. In fact, a recent study in Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that kids who drink flavored or plain milk get more nutrients and have a lower or comparable body mass index (BMI - a measure of body fat) than children who don't drink milk.

Milk also has the added benefit of nutrients your body needs to look its best. Milk is a good source of vitamin A, which supports healthy vision and skin. Milk is also an excellent source of calcium, which can help keep your teeth healthy and strong for a healthy smile.

References:

• Moore LL, et al. Low dairy intake in early childhood predicts body fat gain. Obesity. 2006;14:1010.
• Murphy MM, et al. Drinking flavored or plain milk is positively associated with nutrient intake and is not associated with adverse effects on weight status in US children and adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108:631.
• Novotny R, et al. Dairy intake is associated with lower body fat and soda intake with greater weight in adolescent girls. J Nutr. 2004;134:1905.
• Striegel-Moore RH, et al. Correlates of beverage intake in adolescent girls: the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study. J Pediatr. 2006;148:183.

Better Bones

No doubt, milk drinkers have a bone health advantage. No other beverage offers the array of bone-building nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, protein and phosphorus, and has hundreds of studies supporting its link to strong bones.

Milk drinkers are more likely to have strong bones. That's particularly true for life-long milk drinkers. You need a steady supply of calcium early in life to reach your peak bone density. But these milk-drinking habits must continue so your body won't "steal" the calcium it needs from your bones - leaving them fragile and weak.

Decades of research has shown that milk helps improve bone density. The denser your bones, the less likely you'll experience a stress fracture when you're young or suffer from osteoporosis later in life.

Drinking milk is also one of the easiest and most efficient ways to increase calcium and vitamin D, which has been shown to reduce the chances of bone fractures.

References:

• Goulding A, et al. Children who avoid drinking cow's milk are at increased risk for prepubertal bone fractures. J Am Diet Assoc. 2004;104:250.
• Heaney RP. Calcium, dairy products and osteoporosis. J Am Col Nutr. 2000;19:83S.
• Heaney RP. The importance of calcium intake for lifelong skeletal health. Calcif Tissue Int. 2002;70:70.
• Matlik L, et al. Perceived milk intolerance is related to bone mineral content in 10- to 13-year-old female adolescents. Pediatrics. 2007;120:e669.
• Moore LL, et al. Effects of average childhood dairy intake on adolescent bone health. J Pediatrics. 2008.
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Bone health and osteoporosis: A report of the Surgeon General. 2004.

Being Healthy

Milk is one of the "food groups to encourage" in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend 3 cups of lowfat or fat free milk a day for everyone over the age of nine. And drinking 3 glasses of lowfat or fat free milk each day, eating right and exercising could benefit your health, no matter how old you are.

Milk is naturally nutrient-rich like no other beverage. You might even call it Nature's Wellness Drink. One glass of milk is packed with nine essential nutrients, and contributes to your wellbeing in so many ways. Each glass of milk has vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus to help build strong bones, protein for lean muscle, potassium to help regulate blood pressure, vitamin A for healthy eyes and skin and to help regulate your immune system, and B vitamins for energy.

In recent years, vitamin D has emerged as a "super nutrient" - and milk is the leading food source of this important vitamin. The vitamin D in milk not only works with calcium to keep bones strong, but emerging science suggests vitamin D may also help protect against diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and certain cancers. It may also support a healthy immune system to ward off infections, and some preliminary evidence suggests it may affect longevity.

References:

• American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Diet and lifestyle recommendations revision 2006: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Circulation. 2006;114:82.
• Choi HK, et al. Dairy consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in men: a prospective study. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165:997.
• Dobnig H, et al. Independent association of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin d levels with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1340.
• Elwood PC, et al. Milk and dairy consumption, diabetes and the metabolic syndrome: the Caerphilly prospective study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2007;61:695.
• Liu PT, et al. Toll-like receptor triggering of a vitamin D-mediated human antimicrobial response. Science. 2006;311:1770.
• National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet on Vitamin D.
• Liu S, et al. A prospective study of dairy intake and the risk of type 2 diabetes in women. Diabetes Care. 2006;29:1579.
• Pittas AG, et al. Vitamin D and calcium intake in relation to type 2 diabetes in women. Diabetes Care. 2006;29:650.
• Pittas AG, et al. Review: The role of vitamin D and calcium in type 2 diabetes. A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007;92:2017.
• Richards JB, et al. Higher serum vitamin D concentrations are associated with longer leukocyte telomere length in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;86:1420.
• Wang L, et al. Dietary intake of dairy products, calcium, and vitamin D and the risk of hypertension in middle-aged and older women. Hypertension. 2008;51:1.