A new study suggests drinking non-cow milk, soy, almond or rice milks, is linked

to shorter kids.
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that each
daily cup of non-cow's milk
consumed was associated with 0.4 centimeters (0.15 inches) lower height than
average for a child's age. "We found
that children who are consuming non-cow's milk like rice, almond and soy milk
tended to be a little bit shorter
than children who consumed cow's milk," said Dr. Jonathon Maguire, the study's lead
author and a pediatrician and
researchers at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. "For example, a 3-year-old child
consuming three cups of
non-cow's milk relative to cow's milk was on average 1.5 centimeters shorter."
That's over half an inch difference,
which Maguire said is "not a tiny difference when you're 3 years old." The study
was a cross-section involving
5,034 healthy Canadian children ranging in age from two to six years old. The
subjects were on average 38 months
of age, with 51% being male, and were recruited from nine family and pediatric
health-care practices from
December 2008 to September 2015. Of those participating, about five percent drank
exclusively non-cow's milks,
and about 84% drank only cow's milk; about eight percent drank both and about
three precent drank neither.
Maguire said the most surprising finding was "that the amount children were shorter
depended on how much they
were consuming." "It's not like if you're not consuming cow's milk, you're a little
shorter," he said. "It's more
like if you are consuming non-cow's milk, with each cup that a child consumes,
that child on average appears to
be a little bit smaller, a little shorter. That's a bit surprising." Does it matter
if a kid is half an inch
shorter at the age of three? Does it correlate to height in adulthood? "That's one
remaining question. We don't
know if the kids consuming non-cow's milk, maybe they catch up over time, or maybe
they don't. Time's going to
have to tell," he said. "We do know in general as pediatricians that children who
are on a certain percentile
line in terms of height tend to stay on that line for the rest of their childhood
and into adulthood." The
findings are sure to add fire to the ongoing debate about the benefits of cow's
milk versus dairy alternatives.
Amy Joy Lanou, a professor of health and wellness at the University of North
Carolina-Asheville who was not
involved in the research, said she had several issues with the study, most notably
why only milk consumption
was considered. "It's just odd to me why we wouldn't be looking at the overall
diets of the children," Lanou
said. "If they're making the claim that it's because it's the difference in the
types of milk the kids are
drinking, well, what else are they eating?" Lanou, whose research has led her to
believe that cow's milk is
"not a necessary food," said she believes the study makes an improper leap by
implying that taller means
healthier. "Taller children and heavier children are not necessarily healthier
adults, or even healthier
children," she said. "I think they're using height as a marker for health, and I'm
not sure that's appropriate.
" Connie Weaver, a professor of nutrition science at Purdue University who was also
not involved in the study,
said she found it interesting. "This is the first study that I recall directly
comparing cow milk with
plant-based beverages for a physiological benefit," she wrote in an email. "We
know that some of the plant
beverages, almond especially, have lower protein contents so I have speculated that
calcium absorption may be
lower. This would suggest that cow's milk is superior." However, she says, "A wrong
message would be if people
who do not consume cow's milk would decide to avoid the plant-based milks also."
The study suggests that one
reason for the difference in height might be that plant-based milks do not
stimulate insulin-like growth factor,
or IGF, production as well as cow's milk does. Studies have found that adults with
higher levels of certain IGFs
have increased risks of reproductive cancers. "Having less IGF may compromise
height but that may lower risk of
fracture -- and some cancers, too," Weaver said. Twinkle Khanna takes Paris by
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Overall, she would advise
parents that "cow's milk may be the best option, but plant-based beverages provide
many needed nutrients like
protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium," which is far better than what most kids
might prefer to drink. Lanou
would tell parents who are already giving plant-based milks to their children not
to worry -- but to make sure
their kids are getting enough protein from other sources throughout the day. Top
CommentIt should be
investigated whether Rashtriya Swayam Sangh (RSS) is involved in funding of this
research or not. Its a highly
communal research.....Brijnath Maguire said he'd like to see soy, almond and rice
milks more tightly regulated
to bring the industry, in line with cow's milk. "As a consumer and as a parent, you
have to be pretty savvy when
going to the grocery store to choose a non-cow's milk beverage that has similar
nutritional value as cow's milk,
" he said. "Many of those beverages are marketed as being equivalent to cow's milk
when they're not."