The article examined was “Milk Intake and Bone Mineral Acquisition in Adolescent Girls: Randomised, Controlled Intervention Trial” by Cadrogan, Eastell, Jones, and Barker. It was published in 1997 in the British Medical Journal. The purpose of the study was to determine the level of mineral acquisition in the bones of adolescent girls from milk intake. The authors wanted to determine if drinking milk did serve to improve the levels of calcium in the bones of growing young women. Since women are at risk for osteoporosis later in life, it is important to determine ways to improve the strength of bones of growing women. The authors used a randomized control trial that lasted a period of eighteen months.
An intervention and a control group were established. A total of eighty-two girls were in the study. Eighty completed it. The girls were twelve years old. The girls were separated into two groups. The interventional group was given one pint of either whole or reduced fat milk every day. The baseline intake for both groups was approximately 150 ml; it increased by an additional 300 ml daily for the interventional group. When compared to the control group, the interventional group had an increase in the bone mineral acquisition. There was no significant change in other factors, such as weight, lean body mass, fat body mass or height in the individuals. The study indicated that the use of increased milk consumption does help to increase the level of bone mineral density in adolescents. Figure 1 compared the two groups and indicated that there was an increase in the mineral levels, as discussed in the article.

The logical conclusion that can be drawn from this data is that drinking milk is good for the development of the bones of young women. The greater mineral acquisition in the bones at this crucial age will help to prevent bone disease later in life. It also indicated that there were no adverse outcomes, such as an increase in body mass or weight. This information is consistent with the generalized idea that milk and dairy products are good for the body, as discussed in nutrition classes.