The Study
Increasing consumption of milk, yoghurt, and cheese in older adults in aged care reduces falls and fractures without adverse effects on serum lipids: a cluster randomised controlled trial
This study gave some nursing homes special dairy meals and others regular meals, then watched what happened over two years. It found that people who got more dairy fell less and broke fewer bones. But we can't say for sure the dairy caused it, because the people giving care might have treated them differently.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Older people in care homes often don't get enough protein and calcium. This study gave them more milk, yogurt, and cheese to see if it helped them stay stronger and safer.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 559 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — eating more dairy didn’t hurt their heart health and likely kept them from breaking bones or falling, which is huge for people this age.
- 2Dairy intake went from 1.9 to 3.5 servings per day; cholesterol and fat levels in blood stayed the same; fewer falls and fractures happened.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Year
2024
Authors
S. Iuliano, D.L. Hare, S. Vogrin, S. Poon, J. Robbins, C. French, E. Seeman
Related Content
Claims (6)
Eating cheese in moderate amounts is linked to health benefits, but eating more than that does not lead to greater benefits.
Among older adults living in institutions, increasing dairy intake to 3.5 servings per day through a dietary intervention leads to consistently higher dairy consumption over 12 months, as confirmed by measuring food waste.
Older adults in care homes who increase their daily dairy intake from 2 to 3.5 servings experience fewer falls and fractures over two years, and their blood lipid levels do not worsen.
In older adults aged 87.8 years living in institutional care, consuming 3.5 servings of dairy per day for 12 months does not change levels of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, or the ratios between ApoB and ApoA.
In older adults aged 87.8 years living in institutional care, increasing daily dairy intake from 1.9 to 3.5 servings increases calcium and protein intake and does not change serum lipid levels.
For older adults in institutional care, eating 3.5 servings of dairy per day does not change the levels of ApoB/ApoA or TC/HDL-C in the blood.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.