Age and time trends of dairy intake among children and adolescents of the DONALD study

Eva Hohoff,Ute Alexy,Nicole Jancovic,Ines Perrar

doi:10.1007/s00394-021-02555-7

Abstract

PurposeTo describe age and time trends in dietary intake of Total Dairy (TD) (g/1000 kcal Total Energy Intake) and types of dairy (weight percent of total dairy intake, w%TD) represented as Low Fat Dairy (LFD), High Sugar Dairy (HSD), Fermented Dairy (FD) and Liquid Dairy (LD) among children and adolescents in Germany.MethodsOverall, 10,333 3-day dietary records kept between 1985 and 2019 by 1275 DONALD participants (3.5–18.5 years; boys: 50.8%) were analyzed using polynomial mixed-effects regression models.ResultsTD intake decreased with age (♂: linear trend p < 0.0001; ♀: linear and quadratic trend p < 0.0001), whereas FD (♀: linear, quadratic, cubic trend p ≤ 0.02) increased slightly in girls. HSD (♂: linear, quadratic, cubic trend p ≤ 0.004; ♀: linear, quadratic, cubic trend p ≤ 0.005) and LD (linear, quadratic trend p ≤ 0.0002) decreased with age. In terms of time trends, TD intake decreased in the last three decades, especially since 1995 (quadratic trend for ♂ 0.0007 and ♀ p = 0.004). LFD intake increased until 2010 and decreased thereafter (linear, quadratic, cubic trend p < 0.0001). HSD decreased until 1995, then increased until 2010 and decreased again afterwards (♂: linear, quadratic, cubic trend p ≤ 0.001; ♀: linear, quadratic, cubic trend p ≤ 0.003). While FD intake increased linear (in both ♂ and ♀: p < 0.0001), LD intake decreased (linear, quadratic trend p ≤ 0.03).ConclusionOur results showed changes in dairy consumption patterns among children and adolescents over the past three decades, demonstrating a decrease in TD intake with age and time, and a shift from liquid to solid dairy products with a simultaneous increase in fermented dairy products, while LFD and HSD fluctuated over time. Further evaluations will examine the health significance of these consumption patterns.

Highlights

In recent years, several meta-analyses examined associations between dairy consumption and health outcomes
Since dairy products contribute to a large extent (12%) to the intake of free sugar among children and adolescents [7], sugar content of dairy should be of interest
Based on a unique and comprehensive longitudinal database, the present study identified age and time trends in the intake of Total Dairy (TD) and as a first for its types (LFD, High Sugar Dairy (HSD), Fermented Dairy (FD) and Liquid Dairy (LD)) among children and adolescents in Germany between 1985 and 2019

Summary

Introduction

Several meta-analyses examined associations between dairy consumption and health outcomes. The relevance of nutrient contents was shown in three meta-analyses of observational studies showing an inverse association between the amount of dairy consumption and diabetes type 2 risk only for fat reduced dairy products [4,5,6]. A number of studies have attributed a protective effect against various diseases such as diabetes type 2 to fermented dairy [4, 9]. In the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study as well as in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) study, the consumption of yogurt was associated with a reduced weight gain [9, 10]. The consistency of dairy products, i.e., liquid or solid, may be relevant, since liquid foods are discussed to have a less satiation impact than solid foods [11, 12]

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Discussion

Conclusion