A new study released in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that adolescent girls and boys who consumed closer to the recommended three servings of dairy per day had lower body mass index (BMI) and less body fat than adolescents with lower daily dairy consumption. The study included more than 10,000 children and adolescents participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) from 1988-1994 and 1999-2002. In both surveys, a low dairy intake among 12-16 year-olds - less than a serving a day for girls and a two for boys - was associated with a higher BMI and greater body fat.
"Our research found that adolescents who consumed less dairy had consistently higher levels of body fat," said Dr. Lynn Moore, Boston University School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "The results further support existing evidence that consuming low-fat and fat-free dairy products as hart of a healthy diet may protect against adding excess body fat for adolescents."
Moore LL, et al. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2008; 27:702-710.
