Get milk

Adolescent girl steer clear of dairy products to avoid gaining weight--with troubling results: 90 percent of them, research by Tufts University School of Medicine shows, aren't getting the calcium they need. Published in the September 2003 International Journal of Obesity, the study also shows that girls who cut back on milk consumption do so needlessly.

"Teenage girls can maintain a healthy weight and include dairy products," says Tufts' Aviva Must, PhD, one of the researchers. "Dispelling this myth is important because the potential health benefits oif the natural calcium in dairy are so significant in adolescent girls, particularly its role in building bone mass."

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