Children who drink whole milk are thinner than those who drink skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. This is what a Canadian study conducted on children aged 1 to 6 reveals.
It is a study that parents will read carefully. Especially since it goes against received ideas. Recently published Canadian work shows that whole milk may have more beneficial effects on children’s health than skimmed or semi-skimmed milk.
To conduct this research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Scientists at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Canada analyzed data from 2,745 children aged one to six. Specifically, they asked their parents about their milk intake, measured the children’s height and weight to calculate their body mass index (BMI), and collected blood samples to measure vitamin D levels. .
A higher vitamin D level
Of the parents surveyed, 49% said their children drank whole milk (3.25% fat), 35% 2% semi-skimmed milk, 12% 1% semi-skimmed milk, and 4% skimmed milk. Less than 1% of the children studied drank any combination of these four types of milk.
And the results are final. Children who consumed whole milk had a BMI 0.72 points lower than children who drank 1% or 2% semi-skimmed milk. A significant difference since it corresponds to that separating a normal weight from an overweight in children, confides the main author of the study, Dr. Jonathon Maguire.
By the way, the list of benefits of whole milk does not end there, because children drinking one cup (about 250ml) per day had higher levels of vitamin D in their blood than children drinking almost three times more. 1% milk. The team believe that this higher level of vitamin D may be explained by the fact that the molecule is fat soluble. Because it dissolves in fat and not in water, milk with a higher fat content contains more vitamin D.
Contrary to official recommendations
“It may be that there is an inversely proportional relationship between body fat and vitamin D reserves, and that the most fatty children see their vitamin D level drop,” said Agence France Presse (AFP ) Dr. Jonathon Maguire.
But the study also has some limitations, with for example the fact that no direct causal link could be established between the consumption of whole milk and a lower BMI. It should also be noted that the data studied come from statements by parents, other foods (not studied here) could therefore have provided sources of vitamin D in children’s diets.
For his part, Dr. Maguire hypothesizes that, “as it is richer in fat, whole milk fills children more quickly in equal amounts. Children who do not feel full may therefore be inclined to eat more foods that are sometimes less dietetic or more caloric, and end up consuming more calories than children sticking to whole milk, ”he concludes.
As a reminder, the current recommendations for children from the National Health Nutrition Plan (PNNS) suggest replacing whole milk with semi-skimmed milk in case of overweight. Will this work move the lines?
.
