Got Milk? Dairy protein provides bone-forming boost

Calcium isn’t the only thing in milk that’s good for bones, a new study suggests. A protein present in cow’s milk, as well as in human breast milk, stimulates bone-forming cells in lab dishes and induces bone growth when injected into mice, researchers have found.

The molecule, an iron-binding protein called lactoferrin, could form the basis of a new treatment for osteoporosis, says study leader Jillian Cornish of the University of Auckland in New Zealand.