New study highlights potential brain health benefits of milk

Drinking higher quantities of milk could promote better brain health in older adults, according to a new study from the US.

The University of Kansas Medical Center has found a correlation between milk consumption and higher levels of a naturally-occurring antioxidant called glutathione in the brain in older, healthy adults.

Since glutathione can help to stave off oxidative stress and the resulting damage caused by reactive chemical compounds produced during the normal metabolic process in the brain, this is a potentially important discovery.

A randomised, controlled trial that seeks to determine the precise effect of milk consumption on the brain has now been recommended by the researchers.

Dr In-Young Choi, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said: "We have long thought of milk as being very important for your bones and very important for your muscles. This study suggests that it could be important for your brain as well."

Oxidative stress is known to be associated with a number of harmful conditions, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease – both of which are likely to become more of a public health problem in the coming years due to the ageing population.