Milk Not Enough to Build Strong Bones

Drinking milk is not enough to build strong bones, according to a recent study.

Recent finding: Women who drank one or more glasses of milk per day were just as likely to fracture a hip or wrist as those who drank less than one glass of milk per week.

Reason: Most women don't get enough vitamin D, which is necessary for calcium absorption.

Best way to get adequate vitamin D: Sit in the sun for 15 minutes a day, without sunscreen. Sunlight is necessary for the skin to manufacture the body's own supply of vitamin D. Vitamin D also can be found in fortified orange juice, certain fortified cereals and fatty fish, such as salmon and sardines. The recommended daily intake of vitamin D is 400 international units (IU), but many researchers now believe that much higher daily intakes are necessary.