Yogurt, Its Relationship to Cardiometabolic Outcomes, and Patterns of Consumption

Abstract

Regular yogurt consumption has been associated with significant health benefits, including reducing weight gain and preventing obesity, prevention of diabetes, and improved overall diet quality. While yogurt has been aggressively marketed in recent years and consumption has increased, little is known about consumers of yogurt, including their health characteristics and nutrition attitudes and related behaviors. Our purpose was to summarize clinical studies on the health benefits of yogurt and also to report the results of an analysis of market research data on patterns and trends in consumption. A number of observational studies have reported associations of higher yogurt consumption with lower rates of obesity, weight gain, and diabetes. We analyzed detailed dietary intake surveys for 9560 adults and children. Women are more likely to be yogurt consumers than men (49.3 vs. 29.6%). Compared with non-consumers, consumers are more affluent and highly educated. 28.9% of yogurt consumers were obese, compared to 34.7% of non-consumers (p = 0.014). Consumers were more likely to be dieting at the time of the survey (22.9 vs. 17.7%, p = 0.02). There were substantial differences in nutrition attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors between consumers and non-consumers. Compared with non-consumers, yogurt consumers reported being more knowledgeable about nutrition (3.69 vs. 3.29, 5-point scale, p < 0.01) and also checking nutrition food labels (5.61 vs. 5.15, 7-point scale, p < 0.01). Consumers were less likely to agree than non-consumers that how a food tastes is more important than its nutritional value (4.08 vs. 4.45, 7-point scale, p < 0.01). Greek yogurt consumption increased from 1.8 mean annual eating occasions per capita in 2010 to 17.9 in 2015 (p < 0.01). Greek yogurt consumers were more likely than traditional yogurt consumers to live in households with annual incomes of $70,000 or more (45.6 vs. 33.2% for traditional yogurt consumers, p < .0.001). Yogurt consumption has been associated with lower rates of obesity and better health in prior studies. Our new work suggests that these observations may be mediated by education, income, and more favorable attitudes toward highly nutritious foods.