Purpose: To investigate the effects of dairy products on bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy postmenopausal women.
Methods: The EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Medline, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched for relevant studies. The pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was used as the effect size. Subgroup analysis and Begg's test were conducted.
Results: Six studies with a total of 618 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Milk was the main dairy product used in the trials. There was a significant association between dairy product consumption and BMD of the lumbar spine (SMD 0.21, 95% CI 0.05-0.37, P = 0.009), femoral neck (SMD 0.36, 95% CI 0.19-0.53, P < 0.001), total hip (SMD 0.37, 95% CI 0.20-0.55, P < 0.001), and total body (SMD 0.58, 95% CI 0.39-0.77, P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis suggested that there was a positive effect of dairy product consumption on the BMD of the total hip starting from 12 months and the femoral neck starting from 18 months. There was also a positive association with the BMD in the four sites in people living in low-calcium intake countries.
Conclusion: This meta-analysis provides evidence that dairy products can increase BMD in healthy postmenopausal women. Dairy product consumption should be considered an effective public health measure to prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
Keywords: Bone mineral density; Dairy products; Osteoporosis; Postmenopausal women.