Milk may Reduce Osteoarthritis Risk in Women

Previous studies have boasted the benefits of regular milk consumption. Particularly for women, daily dairy intake can help prevent osteoporosis that many will deal with during menopause. Yet more specifically, a recent study also shows that drinking milk could help to prevent osteoarthritis, a 'wear-and-tear' disease that commonly affects the knees.

"Milk consumption plays an important role in bone health," said lead author Bing Lu from Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass., via Health Day. "Our study is the largest study to investigate the impact of dairy intake in the progression of knee [osteoarthritis]."

More than 2,100 volunteers with osteoarthritis were recruited for the study. Dietary data was collected for all of the participants, and joint space width was measured by x-rays to evaluate osteoarthritis progression. The subjects included 888 men and 1,260 women who had follow-ups at 12, 24, 36 and 48 months, respectively.

According to researchers from the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, female participants who drank more than seven eight-ounce glasses of milk a week had significantly less space between their joints than those who drank none over a four-year-period. Those who drank no milk also had an average width space of 0.38 millimeters when compared with 0.26 mm for high consumers.

These results persisted in women even after accounting for such factors as body mass index (BMI), disease severity and certain dietary habits.

"Our findings indicate that women who frequently drink milk may reduce the progression of [osteoarthritis]," Lu said, via Health Day. "Further study of milk intake and delay in [osteoarthritis] progression are needed."

However, the same results regarding milk consumption and joint space width reduction were not reported in men.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Arthritis Care & Research.