While milk can’t stop ageing, it supports healthy ageing by strengthening your bones and muscles, helping you stay active and enjoy life as you grow older.

Ageing is a natural process (and inevitable!), but taking care of your bones and muscles is key to staying active and healthy. There’s strong evidence that dairy foods like milk, cheese, and yoghurt can help keep bones and muscles strong well into older age.

As we age, our bodies change—and our bones? No exception. Bones are constantly getting stronger or weaker based on factors like calcium intake, weight-bearing exercises, and vitamin D from the sun. Unfortunately, as we get older, the bone remodelling process starts to favour bone breakdown.¹

That’s where dairy foods come in. Milk, cheese, and yoghurt are packed with bone-building nutrients like calcium, protein, and zinc.² Including them in your diet every day—along with safe sun exposure for vitamin D and weight-bearing exercise—can help keep your bones strong and healthy well into older age.

Muscles also go through changes with age. They tend to break down faster than they rebuild, which can lead to muscle loss, weakness, and reduced function.³ Including dairy foods in your diet can make a big difference. Milk, cheese, and yoghurt are excellent sources of high-quality protein and other nutrients that help maintain muscle mass, especially when combined with regular exercise.⁴

In short, while milk doesn’t slow down time, it’s a powerful ally in supporting healthy ageing. For more tips on tailoring your diet to your age and gender, check out our webpage dairy for all ages.

References

1. Demontiero O, Vidal C, Duque G. Aging and bone loss: new insights for the clinician. Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease. 2011;4(2):61-76.
2. National Health and Medical Research Council (2013) Australian Dietary Guidelines. Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council
3. Wallengren O, Bosaeus I, Frändin K, Lissner L, Falk Erhag H, Wetterberg H et al. Comparison of the 2010 and 2019 diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) in two cohorts of Swedish older adults. BMC Geriatrics. 2021;21(1):1-12.
4. Du Y, Oh C, No J. Advantage of Dairy for Improving Aging Muscle. Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome. 2019;28(3):167-174.