Doctors Say You Can Have Strong Bones Without Drinking Milk

There are more dairy alternatives than I can likely count, but let’s try. There’s soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, coconut milk, and hemp milk, and then what I like to call the “nut milks,” which include almond, cashew, and macadamia nut milks. And this doesn’t include different variations of cow’s milk: Whole milk, reduced-fat (two percent), low-fat (one percent), and nonfat/skim milk.

Naturally, all of these vary in calories, protein, carbohydrates, calcium, and saturated fats. Those with high cholesterol might opt for skim milk, while lactose-intolerant individuals may gravitate towards almond milk, which is easier on the digestive system.

But is one type of milk superior to the other? And, does drinking plant-based milk have a lesser impact on having strong bones than cow’s milk—or rather, not drinking milk at all?

According to Christopher Gardner, PhD, a nutrition scientist and medicine professor at Stanford University, your workout routine says more about your bone health than your milk preference does.

RELATED: The No. 1 Food to Protect Bone Health in Older Women—And It’s not Dairy.

“It’s better to be physically active than drink milk as a way to strengthen your bones,” he said in a Stanford Medicine blog.

This is evident in cultures that “do more weight-bearing activities than Americans,” he noted. “There are countries like Japan and India where the population is predominantly lactose-intolerant, where milk intake is low, and hip fracture rates are also low.”

So, why are we taught at an early age that drinking milk leads to strong bones?

Milk is indeed an excellent source of calcium, an essential mineral that contributes to bone density as well as heart and muscle function.

Mayo Clinic recommends that adults ages 19 to 50 aim for 1,000 mg per day; men between the ages of 51 and 70 should also aim for 1,000 mg, while women in this age range have a suggested goal of 1,200 mg.  To put that into perspective, one glass of regular milk contains 300 mg of calcium. However, you can also get calcium through other dairy products like cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, and even figs, green veggies, garbanzo beans, and instant oatmeal.

“If you like milk, drink it. If you don’t like milk, or if you can’t tolerate it, use some other source,” Jeri Nieves, PhD, a nutritional epidemiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, told The New York Times. 

But that said, many experts believe drinking milk isn’t directly correlated to having strong bones. In fact, this myth was likely planted by the dairy industry. The NYT reported that “an analysis of 79 milk papers published between 1999 and 2003 found that over a third received funding from the dairy industry.”

This is what Walter Willett, MD, an epidemiology and nutrition professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, had to say on the matter: “The idea that we need a lot of calcium is based primarily on very short-term studies looking at calcium balance over a few weeks.”

A 2020 study found an interesting correlation between hip fractures and milk consumption: Countries reporting low incidences of hip injuries also have populations that rarely drink milk. Moreover, a meta-analysis found that increasing milk consumption doesn’t reduce fracture risk.

Researcher and dietitian Gail Cresci, PhD, RD, told Cleveland Clinic that adding more vitamin D to your diet, in combination with calcium, could better boost bone health than just calcium alone.

“Calcium is linked with bone health, but vitamin D promotes calcium absorption and maintains adequate blood levels of calcium and phosphate to allow for normal bone mineralization,” explained Cresci.

RELATED: Experts Warn Against Plant-Based Milks for Kids & Teens: “Not Nutritional.”

And like Gardner previously mentioned, adding more weight-bearing exercises to your workout routine could have a greater impact on your overall bone health, too.

As the Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Institute (OSMIFW) explains, “During weight-bearing activity, the muscles and tendons apply tension to the bones, which stimulates the bones to produce more bone tissue. As a result, bones become stronger and more dense and the risk of osteopenia, osteoporosis, and fractures decreases.”

Some OSMIFW-approved exercises include:

• Running
• Walking
• Weight-lifting
• Aerobics
• Climbing stairs
• Strength training