Dairy products with reduced fat content do not affect children’s weight, Australian researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
A study in 145 children aged 4 to 13 showed that weight, waist circumference, and body mass index did not change six months after switching to reduced-fat dairy products. Moreover, children who ate low-calorie yogurt and drank skim milk made up for losses by consuming more calories in a different form.
Gilly Hendrie and Rebecca Golley of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, who led the study, point out that 13,3% of children who consumed reduced-fat dairy products at the end of the study were saturated fat. of all calories consumed, compared with 16,6 percent. in the control group. According to experts, this is a significant reduction, however, according to the recommendations of the United States Department of Agriculture, saturated fat should come from no more than 10 percent. calories.
In a commentary to the publication, Dr. Frank Franklin from the University of Alabama in Birmingham concluded that the advertised dietary products may be consumed by children due to their lower cholesterol content, but care should be taken that they are not poorer in nutrients, especially calcium and vitamin D. (PAP)