Humans, young and old, have been drinking milk for thousands of years. So it’s no wonder the average person consumes roughly 6,178 litres of milk in their lifetime (a fun fact you’ll see pop up from time to time on NATUREDAY).
Australians also drink a lot of milk. Second, behind non-alcoholic beverages, milk products made up about 18.4% of the estimated 14.5 million tonnes of foods and non-alcoholic beverages sold between 2019 and 2020, which is roughly 2.668 million tonnes.
Humans drink milk because it’s an excellent source of protein, vitamins A, D, B12, riboflavin, and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and iodine. However, various studies show that many diets do not contain enough milk and milk products, particularly for the elderly, who need extra nutrients like calcium for bone strength.
Unfortunately, mainstream milk and dairy products just don’t go quite far enough in terms of nutritional value. If you’re wondering why older Australians should be drinking A2+ milk powder, keep reading to find out.
Extra Calcium
First, let’s look at calcium–an essential mineral for healthy bones, teeth and heart function. The recommended daily intake (RDI) for calcium for men aged 19-70 and women aged 19-50 is about 1000mg per day, whereas, for men aged +70 and women aged +50, it’s 1,300mg per day. Only Northern European countries have a calcium intake greater than 1000 mg/day.
The average calcium intake in Australia and New Zealand is only 807mg. While in Asian countries, it’s even worse, with calcium intake levels well below 500mg. Low calcium intake is linked to osteoporosis or osteopenia, horrible conditions that make bones prone to fracture affecting 65% of adults aged 50 years and over in Australia.
To understand just how vital calcium intake is to health and wellbeing, a trial by the University of Melbourne and Austin Health's Fractures increased daily serves of dairy - milk, cheese, yoghurt, and skim milk powder from an average of 2 to 3.5 serves. Conducted across 60 accredited residential aged care facilities in Australia housing predominantly ambulant residents, participants saw a 33% reduction in all fractures, 46% reduction in hip fractures, and 11% in falls, alongside improved calcium and protein intakes.
It concluded that “improving calcium and protein intakes by using dairy foods is a readily accessible intervention that reduces the risk of falls and fractures commonly occurring in aged care residents.”
International studies have also reflected these results by using milk powder for the elderly. A two-year gold-standard trial of postmenopausal Chinese women given daily milk powder supplemented by three doses of calcium (300, 600 or 900 mg) demonstrated an increase in bone density for those taking at least 600mg of calcium per day.
Recommended Daily Calcium Intake
[Average dietary calcium intake globally - This map was developed on behalf of the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), reflecting the findings of the scientific paper ‘Global dietary calcium intake among adults: a systematic review’*.]
While the obvious answer would be to eat and drink more dairy products, there is a better option. Milk powder is making strides as a recommended alternative to fresh milk, thanks to its increased calcium content.
For example, a cup of non-fat milk contains 299mg of calcium per serving. A cup of whole cream milk has only 276mg. In comparison, NATUREDAY A2+ Probiotics Formulated Full Cream Milk Powder contains a whopping 572mg of calcium, roughly 72% of an adult’s daily needs and about 44% of an older person’s RDI. And that’s just the calcium benefits of powder milk for elderly Australians!
NATUREDAY A2+ milk powder is paired with natural calcium lactate to strengthen bones and teeth, improve bone growth and prevent bone loss. There’s also Vitamin D3 and Vitamin A to help with calcium absorption, plus an award-winning combination of immunity-boosting probiotics, which will get into in just a little bit.
For now, let’s talk about protein.
More Protein
Alongside the benefits of calcium found in milk, its protein content was vital to early humans when no other food was available. Nowadays, we have several milk options and varieties, each with varying nutritional value.
For example, a standard glass of milk contains about 3.4g of protein.
A glass of A2+ Milk contains 8.4g of protein, roughly 1.4 eggs, 50g of meat or 420g of spinach.
It’s an easy choice.
Easier To Digest
Did you know that only 35% of the human population can digest lactose beyond childhood? That’s because of the A1 beta-casein protein found in milk, making up roughly a third of the protein in mainstream milk.
When digested, the body turns it into β-casomorphin-7, a compound linked to the gastrointestinal discomfort many experiences after drinking milk or other dairy products. Fortunately, the A2 protein does not share this annoying attribute, making A2 milk products, like NATUREDAY, much easier to digest than regular milk.
However, that’s only half the story.
Boosts Immunity
NATUREDAY A2+ Probiotics Formulated Full Cream Milk Powder promises to improve bone health, optimise intestinal health, and boost immunity.
In the same way that immunity is passed on from mothers to children during breastfeeding, the probiotic bacteria in milk also have immunity-boosting properties. These probiotics profoundly affect the 100 trillion microorganisms living in our gut microbiome.
A whole host of critical bodily functions occur within this microbiome, including fermenting dietary fibre, producing vitamins and helping absorb minerals like calcium and iron with enzymes. The gut microbiome can influence immune function, metabolism, appetite, obesity, and even how people think and behave. All of which see benefits from probiotic supplementation.
Milk contains three probiotic bacteria:
Lactobacilli
Lactococcus
Bifidobacteria
All three of these bacteria offer various health benefits, with Lactobacilli able to improve the absorption of essential nutrients and Lactococcus able to fight off antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, emerging as a natural immunity booster. Bifidobacteria is also a popular probiotic in digestive supplements. Research on its use in relieving IBS symptoms is also underway.
As impressive as this is, NATUREDAY takes things further. We care enormously about digestive health. We use two patented pharmaceutical-grade probiotic strains, Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM and Bifidobacterium lactis HN019, to improve gut health and optimise nutrient absorption. And to ensure you get the most out of our A2+ milk, we add 1.7 billion probiotics to each glass of A2+ milk.
Long-Lasting
Another reason to use milk powder over regular milk is its shelf life. For example, an 850g can of A2+ milk powder lasts up to three years in the cupboard. Compared to a regular bottle of milk, which can barely last a week.
And once reconstituted into its liquid form, NATUREDAY will last for up three days in the fridge, allowing you to prebatch a bottle of A2+ milk.
Flavour
And finally, we get to probably the most important reason to drink A2+ Milk Powder.
It tastes amazing!
While standard milk powder loses a lot of flavour during dehydration, our delicious taste remains thanks to our genetically verified A2 KiwiCross cows from New Zealand. Not only are the descendants of some of the most premium cattle breeds - noble Jersey and Holstein-Friesian - only 1 in 8 cows receive the NATUREDAY seal of approval to guarantee both flavour and nutrition.
All The Benefits of A2+ Milk Powder For Elderly Australia
That’s a lot to digest, so let’s break down the benefits of using A2+ Milk Powder for seniors by the glass, benefit by benefit, nutrient by nutrient.
A single glass of A2+ Milk contains:
8.4g of protein, roughly 1.4 eggs, 50g of meat or 420g of spinach (even Popeye would be proud)
72% of an adult’s daily recommended calcium intake, plus vitamin D3 and vitamin A for absorption
1.7 billion probiotics, a dual combination of HOWARU Lactobacillus acidophilus and NCFM + Bifidobacterium HN019 for healthy digestion and natural immunity
Vitamins E and C eliminate free radicals and enhance immunity
Magnesium to maintain bodily functions
Guaranteed seal of approval for flavour and nutrition
If you’re looking for the best milk powder for elderly nutrition, then NATUREDAY A2+ is the optimal choice to meet your daily needs. Enjoy the Dairy+ experience with A2+ Probiotics Formulated Full Cream Milk Powder.
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