Here is what a new study has found.

Washington: Turns out that higher intake of the dairy products including milk, yogurt and cheese is associated with higher volumetric bone mineral density and vertebral strength at the spine in men.

A new study conducted by a group of researchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research (IFAR), Wageningen University, Tilburg University, University of Reading, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has concluded that dairy intake seems to be most beneficial for men over age 50, and continued to have positive associations irrespective of serum vitamin D status.

A total of 1,522 men and 1,104 women from the Framingham Study, aged between 32 to 81 years participated in the study.

Researchers studied the quantitative computed tomography (QCT) measures of bone to determine the associations with dairy intake.

"This study related dairy intake with QCT- derived bone measures, which are unique because they provide information on the bone geometry and compartment-specific bone density that are key determinants of bone strength. The results of this study highlight the beneficial role of a combination of dairy foods upon bone health and these beneficial associations remain irrespective of serum vitamin D status in a person", said co-author of the study Shivani Sahni.

The results of this study were published recently in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Density.