Researchers from Australia, the Netherlands and the United States found out that the increase in consumption of rich in calcium and proteins of products, such as milk, yogurt and cheese, reduces the number of fractures and falls among people in the nursing homes. Introducing the benefit of dairy products for the elderly, scientists described their research in an article published in The BMJ.
Diet living in homes of elderly often poor Calcium and proteins, which leads to the weakening of the bones and increasing the risk of falls and fractures. Researchers from Vageningen, California and Melbourne Universities decided to find out whether the increase in the reception of the daily consumption of calcium and proteins will lead to the recommended standards – 1300 milligrams and one gram per kilogram of body weight, respectively, to a decrease in this risk.
56 nursing homes took part in the two years of the study, in which there were 7195 wards, whose average age was 86 years. In 27 of them, milk, cheese and yogurt were delivered to achieve a standard of calcium and proteins. In 29, the regulations for the menu remained the same – 700 milligrams of calcium per day and 0.9 grams of proteins per kilogram of body weight. In total during the study, 324 fractures occurred, 4302 drops; Died 1974 people. Diet with an increased content of dairy products by 33 percent reduced the risk of fractures of all types (by 46 percent – fractures of the hip neck) and by 11 percent – the risk of falls. Mortality in both groups was approximately the same. Researchers note that the decline in the risk of falls in volume was the same as in studies where the tests with osteoporosis were given medicines to strengthen bones.