Eating cheese can help older men fight off osteoporosis

MEN over 50 can fight off brittle bone disease by eating cheese at least three times a week, research has suggested.

A study of 2,600 people found men in the category who consumed the most dairy foods had stronger spines and hips. However, no such effect was seen in women. Prof Shivani Sahni, a nutritionist at the Institute for Ageing Research at Harvard Medical School, Boston, has now called for further research into the phenomenon.

Dairy products such as cheese, milk and yogurt are the best sources of calcium in the diet – the main mineral in bones. But the study found the best results were produced by cheese – calculated from intake of cottage, ricotta or other types, including those from mixed dishes such as pizza and lasagne.

High consumption was defined as more than three servings a week, while low was seen as between none and less than half a serving.

The findings, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, could lead to better care for older men – even those already diagnosed with osteoporosis. The debilitating condition weakens bones, increasing the risk of fracture and even death.

In the first study of its kind, scientists compared the diets of 1,522 men and 1,104 women from the Framingham Heart Study, which has followed the health of residents in the Massachusetts town for decades.

Prof Sahni said: “The results of this study highlight the beneficial role of a combination of dairy foods upon bone health. In men higher intake of milk, yogurt and cheese was associated with higher bone mineral density and vertebral compressive strength… in women, no significant results were observed for the dairy foods, except for a positive association of cream intake.”

It is estimated two million people in the UK suffer osteoporosis. Cases are four times as common in women because of their loss of the bone strengthening hormone oestrogen after the menopause.