Study finds dairy consumption vital to college students’ health

As Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy famously once said, “Milk was a bad choice.”

While Burgundy’s decision may not have been the best on a hot summer day, a recent study shows that dairy consumption is vital for any college student’s health.

The study — which was published in EurekAlert March 14 — said students who don’t consume dairy daily could face serious long-term health consequences.

Among other benefits, getting the daily recommendations of dairy can help prevent cardiovascular ailments along with other diseases that develop later in life.

Why study dairy consumption?

Margarita Teran-Garcia — a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois and the lead researcher of the study — said she noticed many students between the ages of 18 to 25 getting sick frequently. This problem prompted her to conduct an observational study of 339 students and come to the conclusion that their diets were the cause of such poor health.

“[When you go away to school] you change your dietary habits for good or for bad,” Garcia said. “Many young individuals are out of their homes and they don’t know what diet is best for them. They even forget simple things such as drinking a glass of milk.”

Although Garcia’s study focused primarily on dairy consumption in college-aged students, she said it seems to be challenging for students to follow the daily recommendations for any type of food. But the question is: Why?

When asked if he follows the U.S. Department of Agriculture daily nutritional recommendations, School of Management junior Giovanni Perez said he tries.

“It’s not too hard, but it’s not really easy,” Perez said. “You have to be really conscious of not only what you’re eating, but also the portions, which are much harder to judge when I don’t cook the food myself.”

Most students said they were unsure about what a serving size even looked like.

According to Livestrong.com, women and men aged 19 or older should have about three cups of dairy per day. But how can one know when he or she has had three cups of dairy, especially if it is something difficult to measure, like cheese?

Well, one ounce of cheese is equal to about four playing dice stacked together. That means that in order to reach three cups — if four ounces of shredded cheese equals a cup — one would need to stack approximately 48 dice!

What’s the harm of not getting enough dairy?

Garcia said that if one’s diet is lacking in the dairy department, it can lead to metabolic syndrome.

According to the study, metabolic syndrome occurs when a person embodies at least three of the following risk factors: Abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and unhealthy cholesterol and lipid levels.

Having this disorder greatly increases a person’s chances of developing heart disease and type II diabetes.

The study determined that three-fourths of surveyed students are at risk for metabolic syndrome and that only one-in-four of these students was getting the daily-recommended amount of dairy.

Garcia’s observational study also showed that dairy products not only help prevent these diseases, but are effective in achieving and upholding a healthy weight.

However, Garcia said that while college students can attempt to prevent these ailments, they usually do not realize they have this ability until it’s too late.

“People can avoid these diseases and cardiovascular issues, the problem is that they don’t realize it until they are 40 or 50,” she said.

What if you are lactose intolerant? 

Stephanie Ferrari, nutrition communication specialist at the New England Dairy and Food Council, said students who are lactose intolerant have a multitude of options to fulfill their dairy needs.

“Those who are lactose intolerant or showing lactose intolerance symptoms don’t have to miss out on the great taste and health benefits of low-fat and fat-free dairy foods,” Ferrari said. “Different people can handle different amounts of lactose, and there’s a solution to meet most needs in the dairy case.”

She said solutions range from lactose-free milk to dairy foods that are typically easier to digest.

Dairy provides the body with vital nutrients such as potassium, vitamin D and calcium. On its website, the National Dairy Council said health and nutrition experts still recommend individuals with lactose intolerance to keep dairy in their diets. The council said it is difficult to get enough of these nutrients without dairy foods in one’s diet.

Both Garcia and Ferrari said they believe consuming dairy is a necessary part of one’s daily routine, no matter what his or her health circumstances may be, including lactose intolerance.

“It is very important to take supplements [if you aren’t getting enough dairy],” Garcia said. “There are some meals that contain calcium, but that is not the only good thing in dairy – there is potassium, fatty acids and protein.”

Deanna Abbondola, a junior in the School of Education, said ensuring adequate dairy intake can be simple.

“If you know you’re not getting enough of something, writing down what you eat can be really helpful,” Abbondola said. “I’ve heard from doctors and friends alike that tracking what you eat can be one of the most helpful things when it comes to healthy eating.”

Is getting enough dairy in college challenging?

College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Natalie Cricenti said she thinks getting the right amount of dairy in college is not challenging.

“On a daily basis, I would estimate that I eat around two-to-three servings of dairy,” Cricenti said. “My lunches and dinners almost always have some type of cheese in them.”

If this does pose a challenge for others, attempting to get the right amount of dairy may be as simple as switching out soda at dinner for a glass of fat-free milk.

Both experts said dairy has a lot of positive attributes, is good for bone health and has many other properties to help fight disease.

Why is a diet alteration so important?

In addition to the main goal of the study, which was to find out why so many college-aged people were getting sick, Garcia said she wanted to ensure that the next generation will be healthier.

By having healthier parents, Garcia hopes that our generation’s children will decrease the obesity levels that are currently skyrocketing.

“Most people don’t take care of their health when they are young,” she said. “It is important to learn how to eat healthy when you are young so you will have a healthy diet for life.”

Garcia said that by learning these lifestyles now, our generation will teach better eating habits to its children.

“These young people will be parents in 10ish years, so if they’re not eating well, how are they going to teach their children to eat well?” she said. “We need to teach the next generation parents how to eat healthy so to guarantee that the next generation is even better.”

Perez said he also thinks this is a proper method based on his own experiences.

“I was raised in a health-conscious household, with primary importance given to getting all nutrients needed rather than counting calories,” Perez said. “It has impacted how I eat now because I try to eat most of the suggested food groups per day.”

However, Cricenti said she had a different upbringing.

“When I was growing up, my parents provided healthy food, but I chose not to eat it,” Cricenti said.

She said prior to college, she was a picky eater who preferred to eat junk food.

“Today, I still love to eat junk food and sweets, but I try to incorporate healthier foods into my diet,” Cricenti said.

Overall, it is safe to walk away from an observational study such as Garcia’s and say that dairy should be a vital component of everyone’s daily diet.

And whether that means bringing dice to measure cheese at 100 Bay State Road or just drinking a glass of milk with every meal, one can be sure that milk was a good choice.