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Mary M. Murphy, MS, RD, Managing Scientist in Exponent's Health Sciences Center for Chemical Regulation and Food Safety, et al., stated the following in their Apr. 4, 2008 study, "Drinking Flavored or Plain Milk Is Positively Associated with Nutrient Intake and Is Not Associated with Adverse Effects on Weight Status in US Children and Adolescents," published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association:

“Several of the nutrients provided by milk are important for optimal health and growth…

Flavored milks provide another option for meeting the recommended intakes of dairy products, and research in schools shows that students purchase more milk when milk offerings are enhanced and include flavored milk. Servings of plain milk and chocolate milk provide essentially identical amounts of protein, total and saturated fat, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin A, riboflavin, and potassium…

Some schools limit children’s access to flavored milk presumably due to concerns that the beverages provide unhealthful levels of added sugars and fat, therefore potentially contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic. Childhood obesity is a significant concern in the United States; data collected between 2003 and 2004 indicate that 17.1% of children and adolescents aged 2 through 19 years were overweight.

We are unaware of evidence that consumption of flavored milk is associated with increased risk for obesity…

Until those data are available, limiting children and adolescents’ access to flavored milk due to its higher added sugars or energy content may only have the undesirable effect of further reducing intakes of many essential nutrients provided by milk.”

Apr. 4, 2008