LONGER LIFE PREFERRED OVER WELLNESS : GOT MILK?:.

The importance of quality of life vs. quantity of life apparently changes as a person ages, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds.

In a survey of more than 400 hospitalized patients who were 80 or older, researchers found that, given the choice, most rate longevity over health.

Nearly 70 percent said that if they could live the next 11 months in excellent health instead of 12 months with their current state of health, they'd do it, but that was the most time they'd exchange for improved health.

At the other end of the spectrum, only 6 percent said they'd rather have just two weeks of excellent health instead of another year in their existing health. The trade-offs embraced by the elderly patients were significantly different from what their relatives expected they would want, the researchers found.

Interestingly, when the researchers from the University of Cincinnati questioned surviving patients a year later, they found the amount of time the patients would be willing to exchange in return for better health was less than it had been when they were asked the first time.

While most adolescents do not get enough calcium, those who drink milk and eat other calcium-rich products at breakfast are more likely to incorporate the bone-strengthening mineral in their diets throughout the day, Spanish researchers report. Increasing milk intake during breakfast could thereby help cut down on soda or other unhealthy snacks while increasing consumption of the important nutrient, according to the study authors.

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