🦷 Bones and teeth
Calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D.
Bones and teeth are the hard parts of the body. Their strength depends a lot on minerals: calcium and phosphorus. From these, bones build a special hard material. Vitamin D helps the body take these minerals from food. Without it, calcium is poorly absorbed.
Milk has long been linked with strong bones. It contains calcium, phosphorus and protein all at once. 100 ml of cow's milk has about 120 mg of calcium. Sheep's milk, by various accounts, has even more. Hard cheese is especially rich in calcium. In many countries vitamin D is added to milk. For children, milk is an easy way to get calcium: the NHS says children aged 1–3 need about 350 mg of calcium a day, which is roughly 300 ml of milk.
But bones depend on more than food. For strong bones, the NHS advises regular exercise, eating foods with calcium, getting vitamin D, not smoking and drinking less alcohol. People who do not eat dairy can get calcium from fortified plant drinks, leafy greens such as kale, and fish eaten with their bones.
How it connects to milk
🦷 Bones and teeth ← benefit ← 🥛 Cow's milk → type of → 🥛 Milk
Links
- What affects it
- 🦴 Calcium, 🧪 Vitamin D, 🧪 Phosphorus
- Which milk helps
- 🥛 Cow's milk, 🥛 Sheep's milk, 🥛 Buffalo milk
Frequently asked questions
Is it true that milk makes bones stronger?
Milk has calcium, phosphorus and protein, which bones need. But exercise, vitamin D and not smoking also matter for strong bones.
How much milk does a child need for calcium?
According to the NHS, children aged 1–3 need about 350 mg of calcium a day. That is roughly 300 ml of milk.