"Like Mother Like Daughter" May be More Than a Cliche; New Study Reveals Mothers Who Drink More Milk and Less Soda Have Daughters Who Do the Same.

Health/Medical Writers

ROSEMONT, Ill.--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 5, 2001

Soft drink consumption has surged in recent years, but new research finds that children will be more likely to grab a carton of milk instead of a can of soda if they see their mom make this choice, according to a new study published today in the Journal of Nutrition.

Researchers at the Pennsylvania State University examined the trade-off between soft drinks and milk that young children frequently make and explored the impact of a mother's influence.

The study looked at 180 pairs of mothers and their 5-year old daughters over a three-month period. The results showed that not only did moms who consumed more milk have daughters who consumed more milk, but those mother-daughter pairs also drank less soft drinks.

Additionally, the mothers and daughters who consumed more soft drinks tended to have lower calcium intakes. In fact, the results showed daughters who drank more than one serving of non-juice or soft-drink beverage each day consumed less milk and as a result consumed about 150 mg less calcium per day.

"Many moms do not realize the impact their eating habits may have on their children's overall health and our results show it's more important than ever for mom to set the right example by drinking milk," said co-author, Leann Birch, Ph.D., professor and head of human development and family studies in the College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University. "If mothers drink milk, their girls are more likely to drink milk, which could possibly help to reduce osteoporosis risk."

The latest government studies reveal that most children are not getting the calcium they need for adequate growth and development. Moms are coming up short too with more than nine out of 10 failing to meet the daily recommendation. Milk is one of the best sources for calcium and also provides vitamin D, which can double the amount of calcium absorbed by your body.

"There's no question that milk provides good nutrition for your body and it's easy for moms and kids to incorporate milk into their every day life," said Ann Marie Krautheim, mother of one and a registered dietitian for the National Dairy Council.

Krautheim offers the following tips for moms to milk it for all it's worth:

-- Make It Milk With Meals - Include milk at the table during breakfast, lunch
and dinner.

-- Hot Stuff - When preparing instant cereals, soups or hot chocolate be sure
to add milk instead of water. It will make it tastier, not to mention more
nutritious.

-- Shake Up Snack Time - Adding a fun straw or serving milk in a goofy glass
adds some excitement to snack time.

-- Make it Milk Story Time - Next time you are reading to your child why not
share the story over a cold glass of milk.

-- Fantastic Flavors - Milk now comes in a wide variety of flavors - so instead
of grabbing a soft drink to satisfy your sweet tooth, savor milk's flavors.
You'll get calcium plus eight other essential nutrients!

Real life role modeling - for a copy of milk mustache celebrity Melanie Griffith and her children enjoying a glass of milk, call 312/988-2494 or e-mail [e-mail]. For more information about the importance of calcium-rich milk for children, visit www.whymilk.com. For additional dairy research, visit www.nationaldairycouncil.org or www.cheeseforcalcium.com.

The National Dairy Council was founded in 1915 and conducts nutrition education and nutrition research programs through national, state and regional Dairy Council organizations on behalf of America's dairy farmers.

INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE: To schedule interviews, call 312/988-2494.

Source: Fisher, J., et. al: "Maternal influences on the trade-off between milk and soft drinks in young girls' diets." Journal of Nutrition February 2001: 131 (2): 246-250.