Abstract
There is scarce information on the influence of dairy consumption between main meals on the overall diet quality through childhood, constituting the main aim of this research. From the Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle induced health EFfects In Children and infantS (IDEFICS) study, and based on the data availability in each period due to drop outs, 8807 children aged 2 to 9.9 years from eight European countries at baseline (T0: 2007–2008); 5085 children after two years (T1); and 1991 after four years (T3), were included in these analyses. Dietary intake and the Diet Quality Index (DQI) were assessed by two 24 hours dietary recalls (24-HDR) and food frequency questionnaire. Consumption of milk and yogurt (p = 0.04) and cheese (p < 0.001) at snack meal occasions was associated with higher DQI scores in T0; milk and yogurt (p < 0.001), and cheese (p < 0.001) in T1; and cheese (p = 0.05) in T3. Consumers of milk (p = 0.02), yogurt (p < 0.001), or cheese (p < 0.001) throughout T0 and T1 at all snack moments had significantly higher scores of DQI compared to non-consumers. This was also observed with the consumption of cheese between T1 and T3 (p = 0.03). Consumption of dairy products at snack moments through childhood is associated with a better overall diet quality, being a good strategy to improve it in this period.
Highlights
Dietary factors in relation with obesity at different life stages from early childhood to adolescence are barely understood [1]
The main outcome of the present study showed that children who consumed dairy products at snack meal occasions had a higher diet quality than their non-consumers counterparts, both in the cross-sectional and the prospective analysis
The snacking habit is commonly associated with poor health outcomes and dietary patterns [30], mainly when the snacks are high-energy dense foods, which might contribute as a factor in the development of childhood overweight and obesity
Summary
Dietary factors in relation with obesity at different life stages from early childhood to adolescence are barely understood [1]. Some eating patterns such as eating frequency, snacking, or skipping meals have been suggested to influence energy intake regulation [2]. For this specific age target, the consumption of at least four meal occasions per day is recommended, whereas the effect of eating five or more meals per day remains to be elucidated [3]. The main dairy products consumed are (1) yogurt, which is defined as a food in the form of a thick, slightly sour liquid that is made by adding bacteria to milk and (2) cheese. Dairy products are good sources of calcium, which helps maintain bone mineral content and could reduce the risk of fractures later in life [5]
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