Metabolic, endocrine and appetite-related responses to acute and daily milk snack consumption in healthy, adolescent males

Understanding the link between frequency of eating and cardiometabolic health outcomes in Americans who "snack"

On average, Americans ages 2 yr and older eat 5 or more times per day and consume nearly a quarter of their daily energy outside of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Frequency of eating (FOE) has been identified by both the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Scientific Advisory Committee and the American Heart Association as an important area of study to improve the dietary patterns and overall health of the American public. However, the current evidence on FOE is conflicting; it does not indicate whether eating more frequently is a healthful behavior or not. Clinical and prospective studies have shown that FOE has an inverse relationship with some cardiometabolic health markers, including total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, but the relationship between FOE and other health markers such as high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, blood pressure, obesity, and coronary heart disease incidence remains unclear. Several factors may affect the relationship between FOE and cardiometabolic health including the types of foods consumed, time of day, motivation to eat, cultural background, age, sex, and food security status. Another factor affecting both the relationship between FOE and health as well as the research on FOE and health is how eating occasions are labeled. Many definitions have been proposed and used in research to delineate between meals and snacks, but a consistent definition is not currently used for "snacks," even in official dietary guidance. With the current limitations in the body of research, conclusions about the healthfulness of frequent eating cannot be drawn. In addition, conclusions cannot be drawn on the healthfulness of eating snacks (as an eating occasion) or more than 3 meals per day. More directed research is required to understand the relationships between the labels used for an eating occasion and cardiometabolic health outcomes as well as the health impacts of frequent food and beverage consumption and how and why they may vary among different population groups.

The potential nutrition-, physical- and health-related benefits of cow's milk for primary-school-aged children

Cow's milk is a naturally nutrient-dense foodstuff. A significant source of many essential nutrients, its inclusion as a component of a healthy balanced diet has been long recommended. Beyond milk's nutritional value, an increasing body of evidence illustrates cow's milk may confer numerous benefits related to health. Evidence from adult populations suggests that cow's milk may have a role in overall dietary quality, appetite control, hydration and cognitive function. Although evidence is limited compared with the adult literature, these benefits may be echoed in recent paediatric studies. This article, therefore, reviews the scientific literature to provide an evidence-based evaluation of the associated health benefits of cow's milk consumption in primary-school-aged children (4-11 years). We focus on seven key areas related to nutrition and health comprising nutritional status, hydration, dental and bone health, physical stature, cognitive function, and appetite control. The evidence consistently demonstrates cow's milk (plain and flavoured) improves nutritional status in primary-school-aged children. With some confidence, cow's milk also appears beneficial for hydration, dental and bone health and beneficial to neutral concerning physical stature and appetite. Due to conflicting studies, reaching a conclusion has proven difficult concerning cow's milk and cognitive function; therefore, a level of caution should be exercised when interpreting these results. All areas, however, would benefit from further robust investigation, especially in free-living school settings, to verify conclusions. Nonetheless, when the nutritional-, physical- and health-related impact of cow's milk avoidance is considered, the evidence highlights the importance of increasing cow's milk consumption.

Empirically derived dietary patterns and obesity among Iranian Adults: Yazd Health Study-TAMYZ and Shahedieh cohort study

The aim was to determine the relationship between dietary patterns derived by principal component analysis (PCA) in association with obesity from a large group of Iranian adults in the urban and suburb areas. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 10,693 Iranian adults. The data were collected from two cohort studies: Shahedieh city annexed to Yazd area as well as Yazd Health Study (YaHS)-TAMYZ (Yazd Nutrition Survey in Persian) in urban area. Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The PCA was applied to identify the dietary patterns. Multiple logistic regressions were run to assess the relationship between dietary patterns and obesity. In Shahedieh cohort study, three major dietary patterns were identified traditional, unhealthy, and prudent pattern. Prudent pattern was associated with lower odds of obesity (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.53, 0.88). Higher adherence to the unhealthy (OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.50) and traditional (OR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.72) patterns was related to greater odds of obesity. Moreover, we identified traditional and unhealthy dietary patterns in YaHS study. Higher adherence to the unhealthy dietary pattern was associated with greater odds of obesity (OR: 1.21 95% CI: 1.02, 1.44). Greater adherence to unhealthy dietary patterns was associated with higher odds of obesity in participants. Greater adherence to traditional and prudent dietary patterns increased and decreased the obesity odds, respectively. Further prospective studies are needed to find out the causal relationship between the variables.

A critical review of the role of milk and other dairy products in the development of obesity in children and adolescents

Existing reviews suggest that milk and other dairy products do not play a role in the development of obesity in childhood, but they do make an important contribution to children's nutrient intake. It is thus curious that public health advice on the consumption of dairy products for children is often perceived as unclear. The present review aimed to provide an overview of the totality of the evidence on the association between milk and other dairy products, and obesity and indicators of adiposity, in children. Our search identified forty-three cross-sectional studies, thirty-one longitudinal cohort studies and twenty randomised controlled trials. We found that milk and other dairy products are consistently found to be not associated, or inversely associated, with obesity and indicators of adiposity in children. Adjustment for energy intake tended to change inverse associations to neutral. Also, we found little evidence to suggest that the relationship varied by type of milk or dairy product, or age of the children, although there was a dearth of evidence for young children. Only nine of the ninety-four studies found a positive association between milk and other dairy products and body fatness. There may be some plausible mechanisms underlying the effect of milk and other dairy products on adiposity that influence energy and fat balance, possibly through fat absorption, appetite or metabolic activity of gut microbiota. In conclusion, there is little evidence to support a concern to limit the consumption of milk and other dairy products for children on the grounds that they may promote obesity.