Study: Milk powder boasts bone-loss preventive power
The New Zealand Dairy Board's high-calcium milk powder has attained the right to carry what is reportedly the world's first health claim of its kind.
The company now is permitted to state that when consumed regularly, its Anlene product is "clinically proven to be effective in preventing bone loss."
Based on two year's worth of research involving 200 Hong Kong women, the claim is being touted by NZDB as giving it a "powerful boost" to assume a leadership position in bone health/consumer milk products in developing nations.
During the previous fiscal year, Anlene achieved roughly NZ$250,000 in revenues.
"Now we can prove it," said John Smart, health platform manager with New Zealand Milk (NZDB's consumer marketing business unit). "We can say that by drinking Anlene you will reduce your rate of bone loss which is a critical factor in preventing osteoporosis."
Half of the women studied consumed two 200 ml servings of Anlene daily for 24 months; the other half didn't consume the product. Researchers determined that drinking two glasses of Anlene per day decreased the mean rate of bone loss at the lumbar spine by 72% and over the entire body by nearly 90%.
"The good news is that bone mineral loss can be minimized or slowed down with regular consumption of Anlene, which provides calcium that is easily absorbed by the body," Smart said.
An Anlene promo campaign recently was launched in Malaysia and the Philippines via symposiums attended by health professionals, NZDB leaders indicated.
"The strategy was a key part of the re-launch of Anlene, as these health professionals are in a position to recommend the ‘clinically proven' benefits of Anlene to their patients," NZDB execs said. "Marketing has also included a TV commercial with a competitive message promoting the product, completely revamped packaging and supermarket promotions which have directly targeted consumers."
Following the effort in the Philippines and Malaysia, the product will be introduced to other Asian markets, Africa, the Middle East, India and North and South America.
NZDB might find opponents to the Anlene message in the United States, however.
Vegan organization Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which has fought the U.S. dairy industry over health claims, has argued that drinking milk doesn't prevent osteoporosis and that the United States faces one of the globe's highest rates for the disease despite having one of the largest dairy intakes.
PCRM in July filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission calling for a probe into the dairy industry's Milk Mustache campaign, claiming the spots contain false, misleading and sometimes fraudulent health claims. (See related article).
"The truth is that cow's milk consumption does not prevent osteoporosis," PCRM leaders said.
"Not only do these ads fail to point out accurate information—such as the fact that osteoporosis is very common among people who drink cow's milk—but they fail to provide any useful information to correct the problem," PCRM leaders said. "Trying to cope with bone loss with dairy products is like trying to make up for money that falls through a hole in your pocket by taking a second job. It is better to sew up the hole."
Edited by Gerry Clark,
Managing Editor, Dairy Network.com