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Two cups of milk per day appears sufficient for younger children
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Drinking two cups of cow’s milk per day helped most children maintain healthy vitamin D levels without significantly depleting iron stores, according to new study findings.
“Consumption of milk and milk products is recommended by numerous international organizations, given its positive effects on bone health,” researchers wrote in Pediatrics. “In the United States and Canada, >70% of children consume cow’s milk daily. Although vitamin D-fortified milk contributes to important body stores of vitamin D needed for maintaining bone health, cow’s milk contains very little iron, and consumption >500 mL per day has been associated with reduced iron stores in young children.”
From December 2008 to December 2010, researchers evaluated 1,311 children aged 2 to 5 years from the TARGet Kids! practice-based research network to determine the association between cow’s milk intake and vitamin D and iron levels. They gauged cow’s milk intake according to parental report and measured vitamin D and iron using serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and ferritin.
Overall, 25-(OH)D levels increased (P≤.0001) and serum ferritin decreased (P<.0001) with increased cow’s milk consumption. On average, each 250-mL cup of cow’s milk raised 25-(OH)D levels by 6.5% but also decreased serum ferritin by an average of 3.6%, according to the study data.
Results also indicated that most children were able to maintain healthy 25-(OH)D levels >75 nmol/L with minimal negative effect on serum ferritin. Three to four cups of milk per day, however, were required to maintain these levels in children with darker skin pigmentation who were not receiving vitamin D supplementation during the winter.
Levels of 25-(OH) D did not increase among children using bottles and, in fact, led to considerable reduction in serum ferritin, according to the researchers.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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