We all heard it growing up: drink your milk so you and your bones would become big and strong. But what you might not know is the health benefits of milk go far beyond just strengthening your bones through calcium content, with multiple studies being conducted into how something as simple as your dairy intake could prevent serious medical conditions affecting you.
And it’s not just dairy, either. Eggs, another everyday essential and a staple of breakfasts all around the world, have plenty of backing as a nutritional gamechanger when it comes to long-term health benefits. In this blog, we dive into the research that shows how beneficial keeping dairy and eggs in your diet can be.
Increase in Dairy Could Reduce Bowel Cancer Risk
Cases of bowel cancer in the UK, particularly for people between the ages of 25 to 49, have skyrocketed since the 1990s with a reported increase of 62%. Scientists are unsure why there has been such a significant jump, but one theory that many have researched as a preventative measure is increasing dairy intake.
This comes from calcium having the ability to bind to bile acids and free fatty acids in the colon, decreasing their ability to develop their effects that become cancerous cells. The University of Oxford held a study that adding an extra 300mg of calcium daily could be the link to a 17% decrease in bowel cancer risk. This is around the same amount found in a single large glass of milk.
Similarly, scientists investigated and analysed data of the dietary intake for more than 540,000 women to find the link between the risk of developing cancer and nutrients. One of the primary findings was that food and drink with high calcium content like milk and yogurt showed a lower risk of a diagnosis over 16 years, suggesting it was the main factor responsible for cutting risk.
Milk Preventing Strokes
Another serious medical condition that has been explored in its relationship to dairy is strokes, particularly in Japan where more than half a million people are hospitalised due to the condition, and contributes to more than 19% of all nursing cases throughout the country. The burden this places on healthcare in the nation led to a study being conducted on preventative measures, with one crucial examination being the health benefits of milk.
A study was conducted into how milk consumption could be linked to reducing strokes, and it found that an initial immediate increase in milk consumption to 180g a day found an estimated 7.0% lowering of stroke and stroke-associated mortality. Gradual increases showed smaller but still measurably impressive movements of benefit, with outcomes reduced by 3.2%.
Eggs Could Prevent Alzheimer’s
Within the UK alone, it’s estimated that around 980,000 people live with dementia with that number forecast for continued increase into the millions. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of this, and has led to multiple studies to see whether a connection with diet could help to reduce the risk of developing the condition.
One surprise dietary change that has been linked to reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s developing is eggs. A study in the United States examined nearly 40,000 people aged 65 and over, and found that increased consumption of around five times a week could reduce the risk of developing the condition by up to 27%.
This is due to the nutrients that occur naturally in eggs that are related to brain health and its systems, as well as some omega-3 fatty acids which can also be found in fish, which helps your brain send and receive signals.
Milk and Eggs Straight to Your Door
The links between increasing your milk and egg intake within your diet can have measurable health benefits through the calcium and nutritional content available.
If you’re considering adjusting your diet to increase the amount of milk and eggs you have for the benefit of preventing serious medical conditions, the last thing you want is to open the fridge and realise you’re out. Use our Postcode Checker to see whether we deliver to your area, and get your essentials delivered right to your door.
