It has been emphasized often enough that children should include ample amount of milk in their diet. Replete with nutrients like protein, calcium, and magnesium, milk helps boost growth and development among young children. Milk is often dubbed as complete food. But did you know which kind of milk you should choose for your child? There are several parameters. If you want to avert the risk of obesity in your child, you may want to feed him/her whole milk. According to a systematic review and meta-analysis led by St. Michael's Hospital of Unity Health Toronto, children who drank whole milk had 40 percent lower risk of obesity as compared to children who consumed reduced-fat milk. The study was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
For the study, researchers analysed 28 studies from seven countries that explored the relationship between children drinking cow's milk and the risk of being overweight. The study involved a total of almost 21,000 children between the ages of one and 18 years old. According to scientists, none of the studies showed that children who consumed reduced-fat milk had lower odds of being obese. Whereas, eighteen of the 28 studies suggested children who drank whole milk were less likely to be overweight.
The findings come as a surprise for many especially since many international guidelines recommend children consume reduced-fat cow milk instead of whole milk starting at age two to reduce the risk of obesity.
Researchers said that current recommendations of switching to reduced-fat milk at age two may not prevent children from being overweight. All the studies were observational in nature, the researchers are hoping to establish the cause and effect of whole milk and lower risk of obesity in a randomized controlled trial in future.
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