Increased Milk Consumption Research Articles

241 Metoclopramide induces low-level hyperprolactinemia to increase milk production in sows

Abstract Inadequate milk production by sows often limits the growth rate of piglets. A successful lactation requires prolactin (PRL)-induced differentiation of the alveolar epithelium within the mammary glands of sows between gestation days 90–110 (G90-110). We hypothesized that late gestational hyperprolactinemia in primiparous sows induced by feeding the dopamine antagonist metoclopramide (MET) would enhance mammary epithelial differentiation, milk yield, and piglet growth rate, and that these effects would carry over into a subsequent lactation. Twenty-six gilts were randomly assigned to receive either MET (n = 13, 0.8mg/kg) or vehicle (CON, n = 13) twice daily from G90-110. On G90, circulating PRL levels peaked 45 min after MET dosing (P < 0.001) then returned to baseline 3 h later. This response occurred daily out to G104 (P < 0.05). Treated gilts had increased alveolar lumen diameter on G110 (P < 0.05), though feed intake, body weight, and carcass fat percent were not different during pregnancy or lactation. Piglets born to treated sows had increased body weight and average daily gain on lactation days 14 and 21 (P < 0.05). Piglet milk intake was estimated from deuterium oxide dilution. While milk intake by piglets nursing MET sows was not statistically different from those nursing CON sows on day 21 of lactation (P = 0.18), there was a greater increase in milk consumption by piglets born to MET-treated sows between days 9 and 21 of lactation than for those in CON litters (P < 0.001). In one group of second parity sows, milk yield was increased during their second lactation with no additional treatment (P < 0.05) and their carcass fat dropped by 14% (P < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that MET-induced hyperprolactinemia in pigs during late pregnancy can increase milk yield and piglet growth rate, and this response can be sustained into a second lactation in some sows.

Metoclopramide induces preparturient, low-level hyperprolactinemia to increase milk production in primiparous sows

Inadequate milk production by sows often limits the growth of piglets. A successful lactation requires prolactin (PRL)-induced differentiation of the alveolar epithelium within the mammary glands of sows between days 90–110 of gestation. We hypothesized that induction of late gestational hyperprolactinemia in primiparous sows by oral administration of the dopamine antagonist metoclopramide (MET) would enhance mammary epithelial differentiation, milk yield, and piglet growth rate and that these effects would carry over into a subsequent lactation. Twenty-six gilts were assigned to receive either MET (n = 13, 0.8 mg/kg) or vehicle (CON, n = 13) twice daily from days 90–110 of gestation. The same sows were followed into their second lactation without additional treatment. On day 90 of gestation, circulating PRL concentrations peaked 45 min after feeding MET (P < 0.001) and then returned to baseline 3 h later. This response occurred daily out to day 104 of gestation (P < 0.05). Compared with CON, MET-treated gilts had enlarged alveoli on gestation day 110 (P < 0.05). Treatment with MET did not affect feed intake, body weight, or body fatness during pregnancy or lactation. Piglets born to MET-treated sows had both increased body weights and average daily gain on lactation days 14 and 21 (P < 0.05). Milk intake by piglets was estimated from deuterium oxide dilution. Although milk intake by piglets nursing MET sows was not statistically different from those nursing CON sows on day 21 of lactation (P = 0.18), there was a greater increase in milk consumption by piglets born to MET-treated sows between days 9 and 21 of lactation than for those in CON litters (P < 0.001). In one group of second parity sows (n = 11) that were treated with MET during their first gestation, milk yield increased by 21% during their second lactation (P < 0.05) in association with a 14% decline in body fatness across lactation compared with a 7% decline in CON sows (P < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that MET-induced hyperprolactinemia in primiparous sows during late pregnancy can increase milk yield and piglet growth rate, setting the stage for further large-scale studies.

Pemeriksaan Kualitas Susu Asal Kedai Susu Kawasan Permukiman Mahasiswa IPB Dramaga dan Cilibende Bogor

Milk is an animal food source that plays a role in human life because it contains various nutritional components. Indonesia’s level of milk consumption is still relatively low. As one of an attempt to increase milk consumption, various kinds of processed milk products with a more modish aroma and form were made. However, not all of the quality of the processed milk products sold can be guaranteed. The aim of this study is to determine the quality of milk samples obtained from milk retails located around the students settlement area of IPB University’s Dramaga and Cilibende campus. The total of retails around campus obtained from the survey were 13, so 39 samples were bought. Milk samples taken were plain milk without an addition of sugar, flavor variants or ice cubes. The results obtained by the average value of density, content of fat, protein, lactose, dry matter, non-fat dry matter and pH of milk samples in Dramaga region are 1.0190 g/mL, 2.66%, 2.02%, 3.03%, 8.18%, 5.52% and 6.89. Milk samples in Cilibende region are 1.026 g/mL, 3.80%, 2.75%, 4.13%, 11.34%, 7.54% and 6.54. Based on pasteurization and sterilization perfectness test, it was discovered that all samples were pasteurized milk, even as much as 30.8% were sterilized milk. From this study, it can be concluded that the ready-to-drink milk sold in retails around the students settlements of IPB University has poor quality because it does not meet the minimum standard requirements of SNI No. 01-3951-1995 about Pasteurized Milk.

Resistance Training and Milk-Substitution Enhance Body Composition and Bone Health in Adolescent Girls

Background: Increased soft-drink consumption has contributed to poor calcium intake with 90% of adolescent girls consuming less than the RDA for calcium.Purpose/objectives: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the independent and additive effects of two interventions (milk and resistance training) on nutrient adequacy, body composition, and bone health in adolescent girls.Methods: The experimental design consisted of four experimental groups of adolescent girls 14–17 years of age: (1) Milk + resistance training [MRT]; n = 15; (2) Resistance training only [RT]; n = 15; (3) Milk only [M] n = 20; (4) Control [C] n = 16. A few significant differences were observed at baseline between the groups for subject characteristics. Testing was performed pre and post-12 week training period for all groups. Milk was provided (3, 8 oz servings) for both the MRT and the M groups. The MRT group and the RT groups performed a supervised periodized resistance training program consisting of supervised one-hour exercise sessions 3 d/wk (M, W, F) for 12 wk. Baseline dietary data was collected utilizing the NUT-P-FFQ and/or a 120 item FFQ developed by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, Washington). Body composition was measured in the morning after an overnight fast using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with a total body scanner (ProdigyTM, Lunar Corporation, Madison, WI). A whole body scan for bone density and lumbar spine scans were performed on all subjects. Maximal strength of the upper and lower body was assessed via a one-repetition maximum (1-RM) squat and bench press exercise protocols. Significance was set at P ≤ 0.05.Results: Significant differences in nutrient intakes between groups generally reflected the nutrient composition of milk with greater intakes of protein and improved nutrient adequacy for several B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. Mean calcium intake was 758 and 1581 mg/d, in the non-milk and milk groups, respectively, with 100% of girls in the milk groups consuming > RDA of 1300 mg/d. There were no effects of milk on body composition or muscle performance, but resistance training had a main effect and significantly increased body mass, lean body mass, muscle strength, and muscle endurance. There was a main effect of milk and resistance training on several measures of bone mineral density (BMD). Changes in whole body BMD in the M, RT, MRT, and CON were 0.45, 0.52, 1.32, and −0.19%, respectively (P < 0.01).Conclusions: Over the course of 12 weeks the effects of 1300 mg/d of calcium in the form of fluid milk combined with a heavy resistance training program resulted in the additive effects of greater nutrient adequacy and BMD in adolescent girls. While further studies are needed, combining increased milk consumption with resistance training appears to optimize bone health in adolescent girls.

The milk processing: Status, challenges and opportunities in ethiopia

Livestock production in Ethiopia contributes about 16.5% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 35.6% of the agricultural GDP, 15% of export earnings, and 30% of agricultural employment. The performance of livestock product marketing was poor in the last decade, despite some improvement in recent years, especially in terms of aggressive policy and strategy on export of livestock and livestock products, indicating that the sector is still underexploited. There is need to promote the market-oriented production of milk export. Knowing the common challenges and opportunities are very much important in designing smart livestock and livestock product marketing systems in the country. The common milk processing products market constraints in Ethiopia include lack of clear milk marketing system, factors of culture and religion, inaccessibility of market and lack of transport, seasonal based demand, lack of effective extension service to use newer technologies and practices, lack of market information, lack of holistic intervention and localized markets. Despite these challenges, there are some golden opportunities that increase the milk demand and to some extent increase milk consumption trend. Hence, the need to review this work was to access literatures available regarding milk processing, status, challenges and opportunities in Ethiopia.

Participation in the School Milk Program Contributes to Increased Milk Consumption and Dietary Nutrient Intake by Middle School Students in South Korea.

Milk is considered to be one of the main food sources of calcium for promoting growth and bone health in children and adolescents. This study investigated whether or not participation in a school milk program affected milk consumption and nutrient intake by middle school students in South Korea. In total, 692 middle school students aged 13–16 years old were enrolled in two groups: the school milk program participant group (n = 346) and the non-participant group (n = 346). The survey examined normal milk consumption status in both groups. The diet record method was applied to analyze the amount of nutrient intake levels. Milk/dairy product consumption was significantly higher in the school milk program participant group for both boys and girls (p < 0.001). The school milk program participant group also generally showed higher energy and dietary nutrient intake levels as compared to the non-participant group for both genders (p < 0.05). No differences were observed in milk consumption at home or outside school, and calcium intake from animal-derived foods was higher in the school milk program participant group (p < 0.001). Therefore, it can be assumed that participating in the school milk program directly resulted in higher calcium intake. Hence, we can report that participating in the school milk program contributes to increased milk consumption and improved the overall nutrient intake.

ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS AFFECTING MILK CONSUMPTION IN THE ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT(In Arabic)

The research aimed at shedding light on the most important factors, measuring the effect of each factor on consumption, measuring the effect of the factors combined and indicating the most factors combined, especially the effect of quality factor in demand and how to face the effect of this factor in the future on milk consumption. The study focused on achieving data and statistics issued by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), Agricultural Economics and Statistics publications in the Ministry of Agriculture, and FAO. The results showed that the quantities of milk consumed during the study period (2005-2015) increased from about 5237 thousand tons to about 5238 thousand tons and the increase in the quantities required for consumption of milk to about 5925 thousand tons in 2007 and 2008, and then decreased to about 5624 thousand tons in 2006 And then increased to about 5849 thousand tons in 2012 and then back again to about 5598 thousand tons, indicating the fluctuation of demand for milk during that period and instability and due to the increase in consumption of milk to the previous factors, which requires work together to rationalize the consumption of dairy and improve the quality and provision dairy substitutes.

Persistent challenges in safety and hygiene control practices in emerging dairy chains: The case of Tanzania

In emerging economies, the demand for milk and milk products is growing speedily, leading to rapidly evolving dairy chains. However, milk quality and safety are not yet up to standard, despite substantial efforts to support actors in these emerging dairy chains. The aim of this study was therefore to get insight in possible causes of persisting poor milk safety and hygiene practices. The Tanzanian dairy chain was taken as a case for an emerging dairy chain, because of its evolving nature and potential for growth. Depicting the organization of the dairy system involved a value chain analysis using focus group discussions and interviews with chain actors (in total 71). Face-to-face in-depth interviews and systematic on-site observations at actor locations in two different regions provided insights into current safety and hygiene control practices from the farm to the processor. Furthermore, 22 farmers were interviewed to examine how they perceived existing support programs in assisting their safety and hygiene practices. Data showed that the organization of control activities and enforcement of requirements on dairy quality is not uniform across the dairy chain. Overall, safety and hygiene practices were basic or rudimentary. Preventive practices related to animal health care, hygiene, and feed storage control, were mostly lacking. Milk cooling is not a common practice along the dairy chain, monitoring of milk safety and quality parameters is limited, particularly for pathogenic bacteria, indicating a risk for milk safety. Farmers perceived the support of the non-commercial program as more supportive to their on-farm safety and hygiene control practices than the commercial program. To avert public health risks of the increasing milk consumption, multiple safety and hygiene control practices require significant improvement. Support programs could more explicitly enhance awareness and competences on these safety and hygiene practices.

Strategies to Increase Milk Consumption by Young Nepali Children

Strategies to Increase Milk Consumption by Young Nepali Children

Global environmental costs of China's thirst for milk.

China has an ever-increasing thirst for milk, with a predicted 3.2-fold increase in demand by 2050 compared to the production level in 2010. What are the environmental implications of meeting this demand, and what is the preferred pathway? We addressed these questions by using a nexus approach, to examine the interdependencies of increasing milk consumption in China by 2050 and its global impacts, under different scenarios of domestic milk production and importation. Meeting China's milk demand in a business as usual scenario will increase global dairy-related (China and the leading milk exporting regions) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 35% (from 565 to 764Tg CO2eq ) and land use for dairy feed production by 32% (from 84 to 111 million ha) compared to 2010, while reactive nitrogen losses from the dairy sector will increase by 48% (from 3.6 to 5.4Tg nitrogen). Producing all additional milk in China with current technology will greatly increase animal feed import; from 1.9 to 8.5Tg for concentrates and from 1.0 to 6.2Tg for forage (alfalfa). In addition, it will increase domestic dairy related GHG emissions by 2.2 times compared to 2010 levels. Importing the extra milk will transfer the environmental burden from China to milk exporting countries; current dairy exporting countries may be unable to produce all additional milk due to physical limitations or environmental preferences/legislation. For example, the farmland area for cattle-feed production in New Zealand would have to increase by more than 57% (1.3 million ha) and that in Europe by more than 39% (15 million ha), while GHG emissions and nitrogen losses would increase roughly proportionally with the increase of farmland in both regions. We propose that a more sustainable dairy future will rely on high milk demanding regions (such as China) improving their domestic milk and feed production efficiencies up to the level of leading milk producing countries. This will decrease the global dairy related GHG emissions and land use by 12% (90Tg CO2eq reduction) and 30% (34 million ha land reduction) compared to the business as usual scenario, respectively. However, this still represents an increase in total GHG emissions of 19% whereas land use will decrease by 8% when compared with 2010 levels, respectively.

Dairy product consumption and risk of hip fracture: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundDairy product consumption may affect the risk of hip fracture, but previous studies have reported inconsistent findings. The primary aim of our meta-analysis was to examine and quantify the potential association of dairy product consumption with risk of hip fracture.MethodsWe searched the databases of PubMed and EMBASE for relevant articles from their inception through April 17, 2017. The final analysis included 10 cohort studies and 8 case-control studies. Random-effects models were used to estimate the pooled risk. Subgroup and dose-response analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between the consumption of milk and the risk of hip fracture.ResultsAfter pooling the data from the included studies, the summary relative risk (RR) for hip fracture for highest versus lowest consumption were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.74–1.12), 0.75 (95% CI: 0.66–0.86), 0.68 (95% CI: 0.61–0. 77), 1.02 (95% CI: 0.93–1.12) for milk, yogurt, cheese, and total dairy products in cohort studies, respectively. Higher milk consumption [Odds ratio (OR), 0.71, 95% CI: 0.55–0. 91] was associated with lower risk of hip fracture for highest versus lowest consumption in case-control studies. After quantifying the specific dose of milk, the summary RR/OR for an increased milk consumption of 200 g/day was 1.00 (95% CI: 0.94–1.07), and 0.89 (95%CI: 0.64–1.24) with significant heterogeneity for cohort and case-control studies, respectively; There was a nonlinear association between milk consumption and hip fracture risk in cohort, and case-control studies.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that consumption of yogurt and cheese was associated with lower risk of hip fracture in cohort studies. However, the consumption of total dairy products and cream was not significantly associated with the risk of hip fracture. There was insufficient evidence to deduce the association between milk consumption and risk of hip fracture. A lower threshold of 200 g/day milk intake may have beneficial effects, whereas the effects of a higher threshold of milk intake are unclear.

Cities and milk consumption in Europe, 1890-1936: the emergence of a new market in Spain

One of the main features of the European nutritional transition involved the wide-spread increase in milk consumption, a singular process as it involved the emergence of new consumption preferences. This transformation will be examined here using Spain as a case study. Even up until the 1890s milk was not considered a valuable dietary component in Spain, and was normally consumed only by those who were on liquid diets for medical reasons. By the 1930s, however, milk was regarded as a basic foodstuff, especially for children. Our main hypothesis is that cities played a central role in this change in preferences. Large population centres provided an avenue to spread new knowledge of nutrition and food hygiene, while cities allowed social economies of scale that made it easier to implement new public hygiene measures and to publicize or distribute new products. We also show that the spreading of milk consumption in cities progressed slowly in Spain, because until well into the twentieth century supply could only rely on short-range distribution networks.

The impact of subclinical ketosis in dairy cows on greenhouse gas emissions of milk production

The dairy sector is an important contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Subclinical ketosis (SCK), a metabolic disorder in dairy cows, increases the risk of other diseases. SCK can increase GHG emissions per kg of milk produced by reducing production efficiency of dairy herds. With an expected increase in milk consumption, and potential new policies to reduce GHG emissions from agriculture, producing efficiently and reducing GHG emissions becomes increasingly important. The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of SCK and related diseases (i.e. mastitis, metritis, displaced abomasum, lameness, and clinical ketosis) on GHG emissions of milk production. To this end, a dynamic stochastic simulation model was developed and combined with life cycle assessment (LCA). This model simulates the dynamics of SCK and related diseases, and the associated production losses (reduced milk production, discarded milk, a prolonged calving interval, and removal (culling or dying on the farm) per cow during one lactation. Subsequently, an LCA was performed to quantify the impact of SCK and related diseases on GHG emissions per ton fat-and-protein-corrected milk (kg CO2equivalents/t FPCM) from cradle to farm gate. The emissions of GHGs increased on average by 20.9 kg CO2e/t FPCM per case of SCK, with a range between 6.8 and 48.0 (5–95 percentiles). This increase in emissions was caused by a prolonged calving interval (31%), discarded milk (30%), reduced milk production (19%), and removal of cows (20%). Most cows had SCK only (61%); for these cows emissions increased by 7.9 kg CO2e/t FPCM, whereas emissions of cows that died on farm increased by 463.0 kg CO2e/t FPCM. Sensitivity analysis showed that the disease incidence, removal risk, relations of SCK with other diseases, and emission factors related to feed production, enteric fermentation, and manure resulted in a high variation of GHG emissions. This study is the first study that estimated the impact of SCK on GHG emissions and showed the relation between cow health and GHG emissions of milk production.

Flavored Milk Consumers Drank More Milk and Had a Higher Prevalence of Meeting Calcium Recommendation Than Nonconsumers

Some schools are removing flavored milk because of the perception that it negatively impacts children's overall diet. This study assessed the contribution of flavored milk to their diets. Individual usual intakes (IUI) were calculated from 24-hour dietary recalls of children 2-18 years (N = 20,329) participating in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2012. IUI of >0.25 cup equivalent of flavored dairy milk defined consumers (N = 3564; 56% boys). Covariate-adjusted regression analyses using appropriate sample weights were calculated. Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) and Adequate Intakes (AI) determined the relation to dietary recommendations. Consumers were compared to nonconsumers (p ≤ .001). Flavored milk consumers consumed more milk. Consumers aged 2-3 years had higher mean added sugars intakes. Consumers aged between 2-3 and 9-13 years had a higher saturated fat (SFA) intake. Consumers aged 14-18 years had higher percent energy from SFA. Consumers had a lower mean percentage of children meeting AI for fiber and a higher percentage meeting the EAR for calcium. Consumers aged 4-8 and 9-13 years had a higher mean percentage of children meeting the EAR for magnesium. Consumption of flavored milk has the potential to increase milk consumption and reduce the percentage of children below the EAR for calcium; the percentage meeting AI for fiber was lower.

A Semiparametric Single-Index Risk Score Across Populations

ABSTRACTWe consider a problem motivated by issues in nutritional epidemiology, across diseases and populations. In this area, it is becoming increasingly common for diseases to be modeled by a single diet score, such as the Healthy Eating Index, the Mediterranean Diet Score, etc. For each disease and for each population, a partially linear single-index model is fit. The partially linear aspect of the problem is allowed to differ in each population and disease. However, and crucially, the single-index itself, having to do with the diet score, is common to all diseases and populations, and the nonparametrically estimated functions of the single-index are the same up to a scale parameter. Using B-splines with an increasing number of knots, we develop a method to solve the problem, and display its asymptotic theory. An application to the NIH-AARP Study of Diet and Health is described, where we show the advantages of using multiple diseases and populations simultaneously rather than one at a time in understanding the effect of increased Milk consumption. Simulations illustrate the properties of the methods. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

District Policies and Practices Vary in Their Association With Adolescents' Consumption of Milk and 100% Fruit Juice

PurposeResearchers previously examined the relationship between school beverage policies and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. This study addressed a research gap by examining cross-sectional associations between district-level policies and practices and U.S. high school students' consumption of milk and 100% fruit juice. MethodsData from the 2012 School Health Policies and Practices Study and 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System were linked for 12 large urban school districts. Outcome variables were daily milk consumption (≥1 glass/day) and 100% fruit juice consumption (≥1 time/day). Exposure variables were five district policies (i.e., restrict SSB sales, maintain closed campuses, offer/sell healthful alternatives, restrict promotional products, and require nutrition education). Logistic regression models estimated the odds of consuming milk or 100% fruit juice daily, conditional on the policies and adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, grade level, weight status, and district free/reduced-price lunch eligibility (n = 23,173). ResultsStudents in districts that required/recommended restricting the times of SSB sales had 55% higher (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28–1.87) odds of consuming ≥1 glass/day of milk than students in districts without this policy. Closed campus policies were associated with lower odds of consuming milk (AOR, .72; 95% CI, .63–.82) and higher odds of consuming juice (AOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07–1.50). Policies requiring/recommending that districts offer/sell healthful alternatives were associated with lower odds of consuming 100% fruit juice daily. ConclusionsResults suggest that restricting SSB sales may support adolescents' milk consumption. Future studies should assess whether the implementation of federal standards that further restrict SSB sales in school leads to increased milk consumption.

Daily milk consumption and all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease and stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort studies.

BackgroundObservational studies and meta-analyses relating milk consumption by adults to all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease and stroke have obtained contradictory results. Some studies found a protective effect of milk consumption, whilst other found an increased risk.MethodsWe performed a systematic literature search until June 2015 on prospective studies that looked at milk consumption, all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease and stroke. Random-effect meta-analyses were performed with dose-response.ResultsTwenty-one studies involving 19 cohorts were included in this meta-analysis, 11 on all-cause mortality, 9 on coronary heart disease, and 10 on stroke. Milk intake ranged from 0 to 850 mL/d. The summary relative risk (SRR) for 200 mL/d milk consumption was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.96–1.06) for all-cause mortality, 1.01 (95% CI: 0.98–1.05) for fatal and non fatal coronary heart disease, and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.82–1.02) for fatal and non fatal stroke. Stratified analyses by age, Body Mass Index, total energy intake and physical acitivity did not alter the SRR estimates. The possibility of publication bias was found for all cause mortality and for stroke, indicating a gap in data that could have suggested a higher risk of these conditions with increased milk consumption.ConclusionsWe found no evidence for a decreased or increased risk of all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease, and stroke associated with adult milk consumption. However, the possibility cannot be dismissed that risks associated with milk consumption could be underestimated because of publication bias.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3889-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Urban consumption of meat and milk and its green and blue water footprints-Patterns in the 1980s and 2000s for Nairobi, Kenya.

Various studies show that the developing world experiences and will continue to experience a rise in consumption of animal proteins, particularly in cities, as a result of continued urbanization and income growth. Given the relatively large water footprint (WF) of animal products, this trend is likely to increase the pressure on already scarce water resources. We estimate, analyse and interpret the changes in consumption of meat and milk between the 1980s and 2000s for three income classes in Nairobi, the ratio of domestic production to imports, and the WF (the volume of freshwater consumed) to produce these commodities in Kenya and abroad. Nairobi's middle-income class grew much faster than the overall population. In addition, milk consumption per capita by the middle-income group grew faster than for the city's population as a whole. Contrary to expectation, average meat consumption per capita across all income groups in Nairobi declined by 11%. Nevertheless, total meat consumption increased by a factor 2.2 as a result of population growth, while total milk consumption grew by a factor 5. As a result, the total WF of meat consumption increased by a factor 2.3 and the total WF of milk consumption by a factor 4.2. The increase in milk consumption was met by increased domestic production, whereas the growth in meat consumption was partly met through imports and an enlargement of the footprint in the countries neighbouring Kenya. A likely future rise in the consumption of meat and milk in Nairobi will further enlarge the city's WF. Given Kenya's looming blue water scarcity, it is anticipated that this WF will increasingly spill over the borders of the country. Accordingly, policies aimed at meeting the rise in demand for meat and milk should consider the associated environmental constraints and the economic implications both nationally and internationally.

Increased Milk Consumption but Decreased Risk of Crohnʼs Disease (CD)

Increased Milk Consumption but Decreased Risk of Crohnʼs Disease (CD)

Association of lactase persistence genotype with milk consumption, obesity and blood pressure: a Mendelian randomization study in the 1982 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort, with a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Milk intake has been associated with lower blood pressure (BP) in observational studies, and randomized controlled trials suggested that milk-derived tripeptides have BP-lowering effects. Milk intake has also been associated with body mass index (BMI). Nevertheless, it is unclear whether increasing milk consumption would reduce BP in the general population. Methods: We investigated the association of milk intake with obesity and BP using genetically-defined lactase persistence (LP) based on the rs4988235 polymorphism in a Mendelian randomization design in the 1982 Pelotas (Southern Brazil) Birth Cohort. These results were combined with published reports identified through a systematic review using meta-analysis. Results: In the 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort, milk intake was 42 [95% confidence interval (CI): 18; 67) ml/day higher in LP individuals. In conventional observational analysis, each 1-dl/day increase in milk intake was associated with −0.26 (95% CI: −0.33; −0.19) kg/m2 in BMI and −0.31 (95% CI: −0.46; −0.16) and -0.35 (95% CI: −0.46; −0.23) mmHg in systolic and diastolic BP, respectively. These results were not corroborated when analysing LP status, but confidence intervals were large. In random effects meta-analysis, LP individuals presented higher BMI [0.17 (95% CI: 0.07; 0.27) kg/m2] and higher odds of overweight-obesity [1.09 (95% CI: 1.02; 1.17)]. There were no reliable associations for BP. Conclusions: Our study supports that LP is positively associated with obesity, suggesting that the negative association of milk intake with obesity is likely due to limitations of conventional observational studies. Our findings also do not support that increased milk intake leads to lower BP.