Is full cream milk better for seniors than reduced fat or skim milk?

The best milk choice for seniors comes down to individual, dietary needs and personal preferences. All types of dairy milk are nutrient – dense sources of high-quality protein, calcium and energy.

Dairy plays an important role in healthy ageing because it’s a rich source of calcium, high-quality protein and other essential nutrients that help preserve muscle strength and bone health. As we get older, our bodies naturally lose bone density and muscle mass, which can increase the risk of osteoporosis and falls.  

Including 3.5 serves of dairy foods every day from milk, cheese and yoghurt in your diet can help support bone health and overall wellbeing for older adults. 

When it comes to choosing between full cream, reduced fat and skim milk, the main difference is the fat content: 

• Full cream milk contains more fat and therefore more kilojoules (energy). This can be helpful for seniors to support adequate energy intake.
• Reduced fat and skim milk contain less fat, with the same nutritional goodness of full cream milk, including protein, calcium and most vitamins.  

For the general population without any heart health issues, The Heart Foundation recommends choosing full fat or reduced fat dairy. However, people with heart disease or high cholesterol, The Heart Foundation recommends choosing reduced fat dairy as part of a heart-healthy eating pattern.  

The best choice of dairy milk depends on your individual, dietary needs and personal preferences. Dairy plays an important role as we age. The key is to enjoy 3.5 serves of nutritious dairy every day. 

Discover more about dairy and how it supports healthy ageing at dairy.com.au/health-and-nutrition/dairy-for-all-ages