A milk moustache is the least of health conscious students’ worries when they reach for dairy products amid confusing information about milk, but Boston University researchers and professors say drink up.

Young children who consumed at least two servings of dairy per day exhibited stronger bone mass during their adolescent years, according to a 2008 study published by BU researchers. However, the fat and protein content in dairy products caused researchers to look into the long-term effects, too, the study’s Director Lynn Moore said.

“What we were curious about was to see if we looked at [children’s dairy] intake over a long period of time, as opposed to a short period, would there be an impact on bone health?” said Moore, an associate professor of preventative medicine and epidemiology.

The study, called the Framingham Children’s Study, followed the 3- to 5-year-old children of about 100 families from 1986 to about 2000, examining how the children ate in accordance with United States Department of Agriculture guidelines, Moore said.

The combination of calcium, vitamin D and protein found in milk products proved essential for building bone mass, Moore said.

Though the children in the study were young, college students can still build bone mass too, Moore said.

“The more you build-up when you’re young, the more you have as a reserve,” she said. “You start losing [bone mass] when you hit around 30. [College students] are still at an age where you are still building bone.”

Many young people, particularly women, choose to avoid dairy for fear of consuming too many calories, Moore said. The fat and protein in dairy products could contribute to obesity, high blood pressure and other health problems.

Despite of these problems, the nutrients in milk make it an ideal way to get calcium and vitamin D, BU nutrition professor Joan Salge-Blake said.

“You want to eat foods that are nutrient-rich. Milk is economical and efficient,” she said.

Vegans and other people who avoid dairy have their own options, Salge-Blake said.

“I think that you can follow a healthy, well-balanced vegan diet and also meet your nutrient needs, but you also need to have good planning,” she said. “Anyone who wants to become a vegan should sit down with a registered dietician to make sure all [dietary] needs are met, especially young people.”

Boston Vegan Association Director Eric Prescott said people looking for nutrients can find them elsewhere.

“Most people forget that milk is a fortified product . . . you can get these nutrients from plant products,” he said. “From dairy industry propaganda, they hear calcium and only think milk.”

College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Leah Resnick said she thinks consuming dairy products can require less effort than finding the nutrients elsewhere, but there are still other options available.

“I definitely think there’s different ways to get the same nutrients,” she said.