Milk-and-Dairy-Products-in-Human-Nutrition-FAO

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Milk and dairy products in human nutrition
(WCRF and AICR, 2008a, 2008b). Height is also generally accepted to be a risk factor
for osteoporotic fractures (Hannan et al., 2012, and references therein). Current
evidence suggests that there may be particular periods in which growth is associated
with better adult health, while rapid growth in other stages may result in an
increased risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs): findings from the Helsinki
Birth Cohort Study of over 13 000 children born between 1934 and 1944 in Helsinki
who went on to develop CHD, hypertension and diabetes as adults showed that
these children were more likely to be generally short and thin at birth, have poor
growth in the first year of life but then accelerated weight gain in later childhood,
although their heights remained below average (Eriksson et al., 2000; Eriksson et
al., 2001; Eriksson et al., 2003; Forsen et al., 2004; Eriksson, 2011). A recent paper
from the group (Eriksson, 2011) stresses that “not only a small body size at birth
but also slow growth during infancy increased the risk of CHD in later life. Low
weight at one year old added to the CHD risk independently of body size at birth”.
However, the author concludes that these findings need to be replicated in younger
contemporary cohorts before public health initiatives can be proposed.
Recent review studies are available on the role of ASF, including milk, in the
diets of children in low-income countries (Allen and Dror, 2011; Dror and Allen,
2011). In observational studies, a higher intake of ASF has been associated with
better growth, micronutrient status, cognitive performance, motor development
and activity in children, although the effects on cognitive function and activity
were more pronounced in children consuming meat rather than milk. Cow milk
is a source of vitamin B 12 , a micronutrient commonly deficient in populations that
consume low amounts of ASF, and can thus help to improve children’s nutritional
status. Furthermore, milk can be used as a fortification vehicle for micronutrients
(Allen and Dror, 2011; Dror and Allen, 2011).
A meta-analysis of seven randomized controlled trials and five non-randomized
controlled trials examining the relationship between consumption of dairy products
and physical stature in children and adolescents aged 3–13 19 has been published
recently (de Beer, 2012). Sample sizes in the trials varied from 36 to 757 participants
and study duration varied from 3.3 to 24 months. Seven studies were conducted
since the 1990s, and the rest were conducted between 1926 and 1980. While two trials
included moderately or severely stunted children, most trials included children
who were only slightly or not at all stunted. Five of the studies were in developed
countries while the rest were from developing countries (two in China, one in
northern Viet Nam, one in Kenya, two in Indonesia and one in India). In eight
studies, children received 190 to 568 ml of whole or skimmed milk daily, while in
the other studies diets were supplemented with (reconstituted) milk powder, cheese
and yoghurt. The authors conclude that the most likely effect of supplementing
children’s diets with dairy products is 0.4 cm additional growth per year for every
245 ml of milk added to the diet (95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 0.22–0.58),
which is the effect of an intervention of 12 months on average. Nutritionally
deprived children (shorter height-for-age) benefited more from supplementation
19 The search criteria were for age group 2–18 years.