Thai people drink an average of 14 litres of milk a year which are 4-7 times less than milk consumption rate in other countries in the Asean region and the world making them shorter than the other people elsewhere, according to the study of the Health Department.
On the occasion of the World’s Milk Day today (Wednesday), Health Department director-general Wachira Pengchan urged Thai children to drink 2-3 glasses of milk per day while exercising and having enough sleep each day which will help increase their height.
He said that the nutrients in milk such as protein and calcium are vital for the growth of teeth and bones, especially fresh milk is more nutritious than flavoured milk because it contains more calcium.
The study from the Nutrition Office of the Health Department of the sour milk or yogurt, fresh milk and flavoured milk of 100 millimetres each shows that fresh milk contains 3.3 grammes of protein, 122 milligrammes of calcium, 38 microgrammes of Vitamin A, 20.21 milligrammes of Vitamin B while flavoured milk contains 2.3 grammes of protein, 101 milligrammes of calcium, 38 microgrammes of Vitamin A and 20.20 milligrammes of Vitamin B.
According to the milk consumption study of the Office of Agricultural Economics, Thais drink an average of 14 litres of milk per year compared to 60 litres/year for peoples in Asean and 103.9 litres/year for the rest of the world.
The average height of Thai male youths aged 19 is 169.5 cm and 157.5 cm for females. Adequate sleep will increase growth hormone which will increase height.
