title: Dairy Consumption and Female Height Growth: Prospective Cohort Study A randomised controlled trial of the effect of the provision of free school milk on the growth of children. Food supplements have a positive impact on weight gain and the addition of animal source foods increases lean body mass of Kenyan schoolchildren. School-milk intervention trial enhances growth and bone mineral accretion in Chinese girls aged 10-12 years in Beijing. Milk intake and bone mineral acquisition in adolescent girls: randomised, controlled intervention trial Effects of dairy products on bone and body composition in pubertal girls. Effects of dairy food supplements on bone mineral density in teenage girls
abstract: Background : Because of its nutrients and anabolic hormones , cow 's milk may promote height growth , which in turn has been related to breast cancer risk . We prospect ively investigated associations between dairy intakes and height growth . Methods : A cohort of 5,101 girls from throughout the United States completed annual surveys ( 1996 - 2001 , 2003 ) , providing height , weight , and past-year diet . At baseline , all were premenarchal , ages 9 years and above , with no serious medical conditions . We studied three outcomes : annual height growth , peak growth velocity , and adult height . Multivariate models estimated the effects of milk , cheese , yogurt , and energy on subsequent growth , adjusted for race/ethnicity , age , prior height , and body mass index . Other models studied fats and proteins . Results : Premenarchal girls who drank > 3 servings per day of milk  grew 0.11 in . ( P = 0.02 ) more the following year than girls consuming < 1 serving per day . Yogurt ( + 0.13 in./cup ; P = 0.02 ) , but not cheese or total calories , predicted height growth . In a separate model , dairy protein ( + 0.034 in./10 g ; P < 0.001 ) predicted height growth . Larger peak velocities were seen among girls reporting , at baseline , more milk ( > 3 glasses per day versus < 1 ; + 0.14 in . , P = 0.01 ) , more yogurt ( + 0.17 in./cup , P = 0.02 ) , and , in a separate model , more dairy protein ( + 0.039 in./10 g ; P = 0.003 ) . Baseline milk and dairy protein predicted taller adults .  Dairy protein was more important than dairy fat , for all outcomes . Nondairy animal protein and vegetable protein were never significant , nor were nondairy animal fat and vegetable fat . Conclusion : Of the foods/nutrients studied , dairy protein had the strongest association with height growth . These findings suggest that a factor in the nonlipid phase of milk , but not protein itself , has growth-promoting action in girls . ( Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(6):1881–7 A r and omised controlled study was carried out of the effect on growth of the provision of free milk supplements to schoolchildren aged 7 and 8 . In selecting children for this study , the aim was to identify those whose socioeconomic circumstances might place them at a disadvantage for growth . Five hundred and eighty-one-children were selected from schools where a high proportion of the pupils received free school meals , and from families with four or more children . The subjects were r and omly allocated to receive a third of a pint ( 190 ml ) of free milk daily for six school terms or to a control group . The mean difference in height gain at the end of twenty-one- and -a-half months was 3 % or 2.93 mm ( P less than 0.05 ) in favour of the children provided with free milk . The mean difference in weight gain was 130 g ( P greater than 0.05 ) in their favour . The height and weight gain associated with the provision of free mild was very small in the study population , and it is therefore likely that the benefit to growth of providing free milk for the whole unselected population of schoolchildren of these ages would be even smaller Observational studies of dietary patterns and growth and studies with milk supplementation have shown that children consuming diets containing animal source foods grow better . This study evaluates the growth of 544 Kenyan schoolchildren ( median age 7.1 y ) after 23 mo of food supplementation with a meat , milk or energy supplement ( approximately 1255 kJ ) compared to a control group without a supplement . Multivariate analyses controlled for covariates compared gain in weight , height , weight-for-height Z-score ( WHZ ) , height-for-age Z-score ( HAZ ) , mid-upper-arm circumference , triceps and subscapular skinfolds , mid-upper-arm muscle and mid-upper-arm fat area . Children in each of the supplementation groups gained approximately 0.4 kg ( 10 % ) more weight than children in the Control group . Children in the Meat , Milk and Energy groups gained 0.33 , 0.19 and 0.27 cm more , respectively , in mid-upper-arm circumference than children in the Control group . Children who received the Meat supplement gained 30 - 80 % more mid-upper-arm muscle area than children in the other groups , and children who received the milk supplement gained 40 % more mid-upper-arm muscle area than children who did not receive a supplement . No statistically significant overall effects of supplementation were found on height , HAZ , WHZ or measures of body fat . A positive effect of the milk supplement on height gain could be seen in the subgroup of children with a lower baseline HAZ ( < or = -1.4 ) . The results indicate that food supplements had a positive impact on weight gain in the study children and that the addition of meat increased their lean body mass A 2-year milk intervention trial was carried out with 757 girls , aged 10 years , from nine primary schools in Beijing ( April 1999 - March 2001 ) . Schools were r and omised into three groups : group 1 , 238 girls consumed a carton of 330 ml milk fortified with Ca on school days over the study period ; group 2 , 260 girls received the same quantity of milk additionally fortified with 5 or 8 microg cholecalciferol ;  group 3 , 259 control girls .  Anthropometric and bone mineralisation measurements , as well as dietary , health and physical-activity data , were collected at baseline and after 12 and 24 months of the trial . Over the 2-year period the consumption of this milk , with or without added cholecalciferol , led to significant increases in the changes in height ( > or = 0.6 % ) , sitting height ( > or = 0.8 % ) , body weight ( > or 2.9 % ) , and ( size-adjusted ) total-body bone mineral content ( > or = 1.2 % ) and bone mineral density ( > or = 3.2 % ) . Those subjects receiving additional cholecalciferol compared with those receiving the milk without added 25-hydoxycholecalciferol had significantly greater increases in the change in ( size-adjusted ) total-body bone mineral content ( 2.4 v. 1.2 % ) and bone mineral density ( 5.5 v. 3.2 % ) . The milk fortified with cholecalciferol significantly improved vitamin D status at the end of the trial compared with the milk alone or control groups . It is concluded that an increase in milk consumption , e.g. by means of school milk programmes , would improve bone growth during adolescence , particularly when Ca intake and vitamin D status are low Abstract Objectives : To investigate the effect of milk supplementation on total body bone mineral acquisition in adolescent girls . Design : 18 month , open r and omised intervention trial . Subjects : 82 white girls aged 12.2 ( SD 0.3 ) years , recruited from four secondary schools in Sheffield . Intervention : 568 ml ( one pint ) of whole or reduced fat milk per day for 18 months . Main outcome measures : Total body bone mineral content and bone mineral density measured by dual energy x ray absorptiometry . Outcome measures to evaluate mechanism included biochemical markers of bone turnover ( osteocalcin , bone alkaline phosphatase , deoxypyridinoline , N-telopeptide of type I collagen ) , and hormones important to skeletal growth ( parathyroid hormone , oestradiol , insulin-like growth factor I ) . Results : 80 subjects completed the trial .  Daily milk intake at baseline averaged 150 ml in both groups . The intervention group consumed , on average , an additional 300 ml a day throughout the trial . Compared with the control group , the intervention group had greater increases of bone mineral density ( 9.6 % v 8.5 % , P=0.017 ; repeated measures analysis of variance ) and bone mineral content ( 27.0 % v 24.1 % , P=0.009 ) . No significant differences in increments in height , weight , lean body mass , and fat mass were observed between the groups . Bone turnover was not affected by milk supplementation . Serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor I increased in the milk group compared with the control group ( 35 % v 25 % , P=0.02 ) . Conclusion : Increased milk consumption significantly enhances bone mineral acquisition in adolescent girls and could favourably modify attainment of peak bone mass . Key messages Osteoporosis is a major public health problem ; 40 % of women will sustain an osteoporotic fracture Maximising peak bone mass at skeletal maturity may be one of the most important protective measures against fracture in later life Adolescence is a critical time for bone mineral acquisition An increase in milk consumption among adolescent girls result ed in significant gains in bone mineral over an 18 month period This simple intervention indicates that increased milk consumption may be associated with higher peak bone OBJECTIVE To study the effect of calcium supplementation with dairy products on the bone and body composition of pubertal girls . DESIGN R and omized control study with 12-month follow-up . SETTING General community . SUBJECTS Forty-eight white girls whose mean age was 11 years and sexual development at Tanner stage 2 . INTERVENTION One group 's diet was supplemented with dairy products to the recommended dietary allowance of 1200 mg calcium daily . The other group ate their usual diet . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Bone mineral content and density were measured at the radius , femoral neck , lumbar spine , and total body bone mineral by single-photon and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the start of the study and after 3 , 6 , 9 , and 12 months . Body composition ( lean body mass and body fat ) was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the same intervals . Serum calcium , phosphate , 25-hydroxyvitamin D , 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D , alkaline phosphatase , magnesium , and albumin concentrations were determined at the start and end of the study . The urinary calcium/creatinine ratio and hydroxyproline concentration were also determined . RESULTS The dairy group had higher intakes of calcium , phosphate , vitamin D , and protein than control subjects . The dairy group had significantly greater increases during the 1-year study in bone mineral density at the lumbar spine bones ( 22.8 % + /- 6.9 % vs 12.9 % + /- 8.3 % ) and in total body bone mineral ( 14.2 % + /- 7.0 % vs 7.6 % + /- 6.0 % ) than control subjects . Dietary calcium , phosphate , vitamin D , and protein intakes were associated with the lumbar bone density and total body bone calcium . There were no differences in serum or urinary biochemical values between the two groups at the start or end of the study . CONCLUSIONS Young girls whose dietary calcium intake was provided primarily by dairy products at or above the recommended dietary allowances had an increased rate of bone mineralization . Increased intake of dairy foods did not increase overall total or saturated fat intake and was not associated with excessive weight gain or increased body fat Summary Background Bone mineral density ( BMD ) is largely genetically determined and this influence is most powerful in the period of rapid skeletal development in childhood and late adolescence but environmental factors such as exercise and dietary calcium intake may influence up to 20 % . Aims of the study The aims of the study were to examine healthy late adolescent females for the effects and benefits of a high calcium intake from dairy product foods on bone mineral density , body composition , lipids and biochemistry . The secondary aim is determine whether a high intake of dairy product foods in the diet is acceptable for this age group long term . Methods Ninety-one teenage girls who participated in a two-year r and omised controlled study on the effect of dairy food supplementation on dietary patterns , body composition and bone density in post-pubertal teenage girls were approached one year after the cessation of the study to determine the effects of the cessation of dairy supplements on bone mineral density , dietary habits , biochemical markers , body composition and blood lipids . Bone mineral density and bone mineral content were assessed at the hip , spine and total body . Anthropometric data were collected , and exercise , Tanner , dietary assessment , preference and compliance question naires were administered . Lipid profiles , hydroxyproline excretion and urinary calcium and sodium excretion measurements were performed . Results There were no significant differences between the 2 groups for height , weight , lean and fat mass . The supplemented group had significantly higher calcium , phosphorus and protein intake during the supplementation period ( p<0.001 ) . No differences were seen between the groups 12 months after supplementation finished . There were no significant differences in exercise level , preference or acceptability of dairy products or in the lipids and bone markers between baseline the end of supplementation and 1 year follow-up . There was a significant increase in trochanter ( 4.6 % ) , lumbar spine ( 1.5 % ) and femoral neck ( 4.8 % ) BMD ( p<0.05 ) in the high calcium group at the end of supplementation . There was an increase in bone mineral content at the trochanter ( p<0.05 ) and lumbar spine ; however the latter was not statistically significant , in the high calcium group at the end of supplementation . There was no difference in vertebral height or width at any stage of the study , indicating no influence on bone size . Conclusions In this 3 year study ( 2 years of supplementation , 1 year follow-up ) , teenage girls , aged 15–18 years , were able to significantly increase their BMD at the trochanter , femoral neck and lumbar spine when supplemented with dairy product foods to a mean calcium intake of 1160 mg/d . There was also an effect seen on the BMC particularly at the trochanter and to a lesser extent at the lumbar spine . The dietary calcium intake achieved did not adversely affect body weight , fat and lean mass or blood lipid profiles . Twelve months after the supplementation finished the girls had returned to their baseline diet , indicating self- selection of a high dairy product diet may be hard to achieve
target: Meta-regression analysis indicated that milk might have more effect on growth than other dairy products while lower height-for-age and being a teenager increased the effect of supplementation .
  In conclusion , there is moderate quality evidence that dairy products supplementation  stimulate linear growth supporting hypotheses that changing levels of consumption of dairy products in the 19th and 20th centuries contributed to trends in height
background: The positive relationship between per capita availability of dairy products and average  height  found in historical studies ( for instance in nineteenth century Bavaria , Prussia and France ; Baten , 2009 ) does not necessarily indicate a causal relationship .
  Historical studies usually apply non-experimental methods that may produce substantial bias .
  Modern experimental controlled studies may provide high quality evidence supporting a causal relationship between consumption of dairy products and physical growth .
  This paper provides a systematic review and meta- analysis of controlled trials investigating the effect of supplementing usual diet with dairy products on physical growth .