Weekly tip – Dairy vs. supplements

The consumption of dairy products is currently a hot topic. On the one hand, experts advise that dairy foods should still be the primary source of calcium; on the other, there are rumours that dairy products could actually deplete the calcium stores of the body and that supplements are a better source. How does one make sense of these confusing, conflicting messages?

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According to Health24's Bone Health Doc, milk and dairy are still viewed as the best and cheapest way to ingest calcium. No real scientific evidence has been able to prove that dairy has a detrimental effect. Most people do, however, get too little calcium from the food they eat. These people also need supplements to boost their intake to about 1000mg per day. If you are worried about the kilojoules in dairy products, it might help to know that skim milk actually contains a little more calcium than full-cream milk.

Read more: Vitamin pills – do we need them?