These are the findings of a five-year study into the eating habits of over 2000 adolescents.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health used data from Project EAT (Eating Among Teens), set out to examine the relationship between beverage intake and change in Body Mass Index (BMI).

BMI is the international standard for determining obesity, defined as a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of the person's height in metres.

While milk was associated with a lower BMI, diet soft drink lead to BMI gain.

The authors suggested that this may be due to the relationship between diet soft drink consumption and dieting behaviours.

They noted that dieting has been shown to be associated with weight gain in previous studies with adolescents.

They also found that teenagers who drank milk had a significantly lower increase in BMI than those who rarely or never consumed milk.

This is consistent with a growing body of scientific research which shows a connection between dairy consumption and weight management in adults. Some studies show that people who consume at least the government's recommended 2-3 servings of low or reduced-fat dairy each day are more successful with weight management and weight loss than those who don't.

"Unfortunately many Australian teenagers and young women cut back on dairy when they are watching their weight this research shows that this is the last thing they should do," Dairy Australia's dietitian, Glenys Kerrins says.

This attitude towards milk may explain why, according to the Federal Government's 2007 Australian National Children's Nutrition and Physical Activity, only 18 per cent of 14 to 16-year-old girls are getting adequate levels of calcium in their diets

"It may be that teenagers see drinking milk as something for children. They get on other forms of drink, and I think we need to do more about creating an awareness for consumers as a whole on the importance of having strong and healthy bones for life," Naseema Sparks, CEO of Osteoporosis Australia said.

"There is a lack of awareness that you need dairy for optimal skeletal growth, and people are quite good at making sure they take vitamins, or put on sunscreen, but linking dairy and strong bones does not come naturally."

The greatest rate of bone growth takes place at puberty, that's why the results from the National Children's Nutrition Survey are so concerning," Ms Sparks said.

"A calcium-rich diet in adolescence helps maximise peak bone mass and helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures in later adult years."

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