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Inverse association between body mass and frequency of milk consumption in children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2007

Gianvincenzo Barba ,
Ersilia Troiano ,
Paola Russo ,
Antonella Venezia  and
Alfonso Siani
Gianvincenzo Barba*
Affiliation:
Epidemiology and Population Genetics, Institute of Food Science, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy
Ersilia Troiano
Affiliation:
Epidemiology and Population Genetics, Institute of Food Science, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy
Paola Russo
Affiliation:
Epidemiology and Population Genetics, Institute of Food Science, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy
Antonella Venezia
Affiliation:
Epidemiology and Population Genetics, Institute of Food Science, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy
Alfonso Siani
Affiliation:
Epidemiology and Population Genetics, Institute of Food Science, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Gianvincenzo Barba, fax +39 0825 299 423, email gbarba@isa.cnr.it
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Abstract

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Recent studies have shown an inverse association between the level of dietary Ca, particularly from dairy sources, and body weight in adults; there is, however, a paucity of data regarding this relationship in children. We therefore investigated this issue in 1087 children who underwent body weight and height measurement during a survey on childhood obesity. Lifestyle and dietary habits were investigated by a questionnaire. After excluding children who were following a dietary regimen for any reason, 884 children (M:F 451:433; age 7·5 (sd 2·1) years) were selected. Milk consumption was pooled into four frequency categories: poor (≤1/week; n 125), moderate (>1 but ≤5–6/week; n 133), regular (1/d; n 408) and high (≥2/d; n 218). The frequency of consumption of milk was inversely and significantly associated (t=–2·64, P=0·003) with age- and sex-specific BMI z-scores by linear regression analysis, controlling for sex, age, physical activity, birth weight and parental overweight and education. The statistical association remained significant (t=–2·831, P=0·005) after the inclusion of children consuming only skimmed milk (n 91). Milk consumption was still significantly and inversely associated with BMI z score (t=–2·791, P=0·005) in the whole-milk consumers when controlling for age and the frequency of consumption of various foods; this association was no longer significant (P=0·21) when children consuming skimmed milk were included in the analysis. This is the first report showing a significant inverse association between frequency of milk consumption and body mass in children. Regardless of the mechanisms involved, our results might encourage further research on this issue and might have important implications for the prevention of obesity.

Keywords

MilkChildhoodObesityPreventionSchool
Type
Short Communication
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 93 , Issue 1 , January 2005 , pp. 15 - 19
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2005

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