Researchers Tell Kids to Drink Their Milk - But How Much? - East Idaho News
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Researchers Tell Kids to Drink Their Milk — But How Much?

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Getty 121812 GirlDrinkingMilk?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1355871470175Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(TORONTO) — Pediatricians often recommend milk to help kids grow strong bones. We tell our children to drink milk, but how much “moo” juice is too much of a good thing?
 
A Canadian study of more than 1,300 children helps with the answer.
 
Published in the journal Pediatrics, the research found that two cups of milk a day — or 500 milliliters — are enough to maintain healthy vitamin D and iron for most children. Children with darker skin pigmentation may need three to four cups of milk a day to maintain the same amount of vitamin D in the winter months unless they take a vitamin D supplement.
 
“We started to research the question because professional recommendations around milk intake were unclear and doctors and parents were seeking answers,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Jonathon Maguire, according to the Toronto Sun.

The authors say about 70 percent of American children drink cow’s milk every day.
 
The right balance is important because, while too little milk can mean not enough vitamin D, too much milk can lower a child’s level of iron.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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