The Study
Milk intake and risk of mortality and fractures in women and men: cohort studies
This study watched what people ate over many years and noticed that those who drank more milk tended to have more health problems later. But it didn’t make people change their milk habits — so we can’t say milk caused the problems. It just shows a pattern, like noticing that people who wear red shoes often trip — but maybe they’re just running fast!
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at whether drinking a lot of milk over many years affects how long people live or how often they break bones.
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 567 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes—drinking a lot of milk daily may shorten life and increase fracture risk in women, even though milk is thought to strengthen bones.
- 2Women who drank 3+ glasses of milk daily were almost twice as likely to die and had 60% more hip fractures.
- 3Each extra glass raised their death risk by 15%.
- 4Men had a smaller increase in death risk (3% per glass).
- 5Yogurt and sour milk were linked to lower risks.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The BMJ
Year
2014
Authors
K. Michaëlsson, A. Wolk, Sophie Langenskiöld, S. Basu, Eva Warensjö Lemming, H. Melhus, L. Byberg
Related Content
Claims (5)
People who drink large amounts of milk have higher levels of urine 8-iso-PGF2α and serum interleukin-6, which are markers of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation, suggesting that galactose from milk lactose is involved in cellular aging.
Women who drink milk have a stronger link between milk consumption and death or bone fractures than men who drink milk.
Women who drink three or more glasses of milk daily have a 93% higher risk of dying from any cause over 11 to 22 years, and men have a 10% higher risk, compared to those who drink less milk.
Women who drink one additional glass of milk per day have a 2% higher risk of any fracture and a 9% higher risk of hip fracture, and milk does not reduce the risk of osteoporotic fractures despite its calcium content.
Women who consume fermented dairy products like yogurt and soured milk have lower rates of death and bone fractures compared to those who consume non-fermented milk.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.