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Long-term association between dairy consumption and risk of childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 70, pages 414–423 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Data from small-scale, short-term, clinical trials suggest a beneficial effect of dairy consumption on the risk of childhood obesity; however, the long-term association is unclear. Therefore, we aim to examine the longitudinal association between dairy consumption and the risk of overweight/obesity in children and adolescents by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

Subjects/Methods:

Eligible studies were identified by searching PubMed and EMBASE through March 2015. Additional studies were retrieved via Google Scholar or a hand review of the reference lists from relevant articles. Pooled associations of interest were estimated by using a random-effects model. The heterogeneity for each pooled analysis was evaluated by I2 statistic as well as by Cochran’s Q test. Publication bias was assessed by using both Egger’s and Begg’s tests.

Results:

Ten studies comprising 46 011 children and adolescents with an average 3-year follow-up were included. As compared with those who were in the lowest group of dairy consumption, children in the highest intake group were 38% less likely to have childhood overweight/obesity (pooled odds ratio (OR)=0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.49, 0.80). With each 1 serving/day increment in dairy consumption, the percentage of body fat was reduced by 0.65% (β=0.65; 95% CI: −1.35, 0.06; P=0.07), and the risk of overweight/obesity was 13% lower (OR=0.87; 95% CI: 0.74, 0.98).

Conclusions:

Accumulated evidence from prospective cohort studies suggests that dairy consumption is inversely and longitudinally associated with the risk of childhood overweight/obesity. Further studies are warranted to examine the types of dairy products in relation to the risk of childhood overweight/obesity.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Shanghai Key Laboratory of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (14DZ2272400).

Author contributions

KH and WC designed the research; LL and PX performed literature search, study selection and data extraction; PX conducted statistical analyses; LL and PX prepared the tables and figures; LL drafted the manuscript; PX, KH, YW and WC contributed to the revision of the manuscript; and all authors completely consented with all the data in the study and approved the final version.

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Author notes

  1. K He and W Cai: These authors contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Nutrition, Xin Hua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    L Lu & W Cai

  2. Department of Clinical Nutrition, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    L Lu & Y Wan

  3. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Shanghai, China

    L Lu & W Cai

  4. Shanghai Institute of Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China

    L Lu & W Cai

  5. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health-Bloomington, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    P Xun & K He

  6. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Xin Hua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    W Cai

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Lu, L., Xun, P., Wan, Y. et al. Long-term association between dairy consumption and risk of childhood obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Eur J Clin Nutr 70, 414–423 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2015.226

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2015.226

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