HERE IS THE MOOS: IT WAS SHUNNED BY HEALTH FANATICS FOR YEARS - NOW THEY’RE ALL RAISING A GLASS TO THE WHITE STUFF.

MILK has been blamed for everything from making eczema and asthma worse to being bad for your figure and causing bloating.

But newly discovered health benefits mean it is making a comeback.

As well as being good for bones and teeth, milk has also been shown to help battle everything from heart disease to obesity.

Celebs such as Jennifer Aniston, Britney Spears, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Tess Daly have all been seen guzzling a long, cool glass of moo juice.

Even Robbie Williams gave guests milkshakes instead of hard liquor at a recent birthday bash.

Here’s how milk could help you.

Heart disease

Health experts have known for years that omega-3 fatty acids help keep your heart healthy.

The largest concentrations are found in fish such as salmon and herring. But whole milk is also a good source.

Even better is the organic variety, say scientists at the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research at Aberystwyth in Wales.

They claim it has at least 64 per cent more omega-3 fatty acids than non-organic milk.

Danish scientists found organic milk also has higher levels of vitamin E and other important antioxidants.

Bowel cancer

Bowel cancer is the third most common form of the disease worldwide.

However, a glass of milk a day could lower your risk of developing the disease by 12 per cent, say experts from the US Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

But eating other dairy foods - such as cheese and yoghurt - offers none of the protective qualities.

Asthma

Although some health gurus have claimed that milk is mucus-forming and can cause food intolerance and make asthma worse, studies now prove otherwise.

Children who regularly drink full-cream milk and other dairy products are more likely to remain asthma-free, say researchers from the Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment.

The essential fatty acids reduce inflammation and whole milk contains more of these than skimmed.

Obesity

Several studies claim there is a link between the calcium found in dairy products and body weight, suggesting people who eat dairy products are less likely to gain weight than those on dairy-free diets.

It has been found that the calcium in milk and other dairy products somehow encourages weight loss.

This is because our body regulates calcium by producing a hormone called calcitrol, and this affects the way fat cells function.

Strangely, calcium in supplements does not have the same effect.

Another reason for the link with milk and weight loss is that it contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an essential fatty acid that encourages muscle build-up and this gives a boost to your metabolism.

Recent research published in the British Journal of Nutrition claims children who drink milk regularly are less likely to be overweight than youngsters who do not drink milk.

The study, carried out by experts at the Institute of Food Science in Avellino, Italy, involved more than 1,000 children and found the more milk they drank, the lower their body mass.

Colds and flu

Scientists believe CLA may also help protect against colds and flu by boosting the immune system.

Experts at Southampton and Reading universities are researching CLA as a way to protect against cancer. Again, organic milk has the highest levels.

Easy way to get your pint a day

A PINT of milk will give you almost your entire recommended daily amount of calcium*.

But if you can’t stomach the thought of downing an entire pint in one, here’s how you can break it up throughout the day and get all the benefits:

One pint = A small bowl of breakfast cereal + four cups of tea + one regular latte or small mug of hot chocolate.

[*RDA for calcium in male and female adults is 700mg, which you can get from 680ml skimmed milk (1.19 pints). Whole and semi-skimmed milk contain a fraction less calcium than skimmed.]