School-milk intervention trial enhances growth and bone mineral accretion in Chinese girls aged 10–12 years in Beijing

A 2-year milk intervention trial was carried out with 757 girls, aged 10 years, from nine primary schools in Beijing (April 1999 – March 2001). Schools were randomised into three groups: group 1, 238 girls consumed a carton of 330 ml milk fortified with Ca on school days over the study period; group 2, 260 girls received the same quantity of milk additionally fortified with 5 or 8 >=0·6 %), sitting height (>=2·9 %), and (size-adjusted) total-body bone mineral content (>=3·2 %). Those subjects receiving additional cholecalciferol compared with those receiving the milk without added 25hydoxycholecalciferol had significantly greater increases in the change in (size-adjusted) total-body bone mineral content (2·4 v. 1·2 %) and bone mineral density (5·5 v. 3·2 %). The milk fortified with cholecalciferol significantly improved vitamin D status at the end of the trial compared with the milk alone or control groups. It is concluded that an increase in milk consumption, e.g. by means of school milk programmes, would improve bone growth during adolescence, particularly when Ca intake and vitamin D status are low.