Dairy Council

On the 16 April, the European Milk Forum, which includes the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland, together with other dairy organisations* hosted a satellite symposium at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases in Malaga.

The symposium explored the relationship between proteins, particularly dairy proteins, and sacropenia. 

Sarcopenia is loss of muscle mass and strength with age, and is the muscle equivalent of osteoporosis for bone. It is an important aspect of health and quality of life in older people as the loss of physical function which accompanies muscle loss predicts independence, falls, and even mortality. There is evidence to suggest a role for milk and dairy foods, particularly dairy protein, in helping to maintain muscle mass and function in older people. 

The symposium programme was as follows:

Chairs: JY Reginster (ESCEO President) and R Rizzoli (ESCEO Scientific Committee) 

Understanding sarcopenia: causes, mechanisms and consequences 
Dr Alfonso J Cruz Jentoft, Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain 

Dairy protein and muscle mass maintenance: preventing sarcopenia 
Dr Lex Verdijk, University of Maastricht, the Netherlands 

Osteosarcopenia: cross–talking between muscle and bone 
Dr Véronique Coxam, Clermont–Ferrand University, France 

Summaries of the speakers’ presentations can be viewed here and the take–home messages from the symposium here

*The satellite symposium was organized by the European Milk Forum (EMF), Centre National Interprofessionnel de l’Econonomie Laitière (CNIEL) and the Global Dairy Platform (GDP)