"Drink your milk; it builds strong bones," your mother used to say. What your mother didn't know is that the calcium in milk also lowers cholesterol. In a test of 13 healthy men with borderline-high cholesterol, Dr. Margo A. Denke, assistant professor of internal medicine in the Center for Human Nutrition, found that a diet fortified with calcium lowered cholesterol levels. She presented her findings in October at the American Heart Association's 63rd Scientific Sessions held in Dallas.

"This is the first significant study that shows a link between a high-calcium diet and lowered cholesterol," Dr. Denke said. "The calcium in the diet prevents saturated fat from being absorbed." In the study, the patients followed a normal daily diet (34 percent of calories from fat, 13 percent of which was saturated fat, and 250 milligrams of cholesterol) supplemented with 2,200 milligrams of calcium with citric and malic acid. The calcium came from fortified orange juice (calcium-fortified Citrus Hill), fortified muffins and 500-milligram tablets. The calcium with citric and malic acid was used because it is the most soluble calcium available, Dr. Denke said.

At the end of the study, the average drop in total cholesterol was 13 milligrams per deciliter. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad cholesterol", fell 18 mg/dL, while high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good cholesterol", rose 2 mg/dL. "People should have more calcium in their diets, and if that means taking a calcium supplement, then I think that would be beneficial," Dr. Denke said. She recommends a daily intake of 800 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium. She said calcium-fortified orange juice is a good dietary choice because orange juice tends to reduce kidney-stone formation, a possible side effect of calcium supplements. Low-fat dairy products are also good choices.