People who ate at least one small 125g pot of full fat yogurt a day were 19 per cent less likely to be obese compared to those who ate less than two pots a week. However, eating low fat yogurt did not appear to have any impact on the risk of obesity. The authors of this Spanish study believe this may be due to the extra sugar added to low fat versions. The effects were most marked in people who already ate a healthy Mediterranean diet, high in fish, vegetables and olive oil.
In this group, those who ate 1 pot of yogurt per day were 25 per cent less likely to be obese than those who ate 2 pots a week without the Mediterranean diet. Overall, people who ate at least 1 small pot of yogurt per day were 12 per cent less likely to be obese compared with people who ate less than 2 pots a week. The greatest effect of yogurt on obesity was found in people who ate full fat yogurt and a rich Mediterranean diet who were 36 per cent less likely to be obese than those who did not eat yogurt often and did not follow the Mediterranean diet.
A diet high in yogurt and fruit was linked with a 21 per cent lower risk of obesity, it was found.
