Does drinking cow's milk help children grow taller?

That's fortified soy milk. Andrea Thompson is raising her daughter on a vegan diet. Everest has never sipped cow's milk. Children are not baby cows, and therefore they shouldn't be drinking the breast milk of another species. She's not alone in her thinking. Researchers say a growing number of Canadians are turning to milk alternatives. But a new study shows kids who drink cow's milk are taller than those who don't. What difference that makes to adult height is not clear at the present time, but the difference at three years of age is detectable, and not tiny. Researchers studied more than 5,000 Canadian kids between the ages of two and six. About 13% of them were consuming cow's milk alternatives, including rice, soy, almond, and goat's milk. Researchers say, on average, at three years old, the kids drinking cow's milk were a centimeter and a half taller. We shouldn't just say that cow's milk itself is this magical, no pun intended, formula to help your child become taller. Genetics and overall diet are far more critical in determining growth, and while they all offer relatively the same amount of calcium, pediatricians say this study has them thinking about the nutritional content of milk alternative products. The amount of protein in some of these products is about 25% versus in cow's milk 100%, so it's a big difference. Cow's milk is standardized, so when a pediatrician recommends three cups a day, it doesn't matter which brand you buy, you'll end up getting the same amount of calories, fat, and protein. That is not the case for its substitutes. The same amount of soy, depending on the brand, will give you less calories, fat, and protein. Pediatricians say over time, kids can end up consuming less than what's recommended for optimal growth. Thompson says she consulted a dietician to supplement her daughter's diet with other foods, because happy and healthy is every parent's goal. Christine Birak, CBC News, Toronto.