A new publication in the European Journal of Nutrition examined to which extent yogurt intake is associated with healthy dietary patterns and a better cardio-metabolic risk profile. 664 healthy participants with different BMI rankings from the INFOGENE study were surveyed on their diet habits with a 91-item FFQ, including yogurt. The results of the analysis were classified as Prudent or Western dietary patterns. More fruit, vegetables, whole grains, milk products, poultry and fish are consumed in a Prudent diet, whereas a Western regime consists of a higher intake of red meat, high sugar snacks, refined grains and saturated fats.
Benefits of yogurt consumption in the Prudent diet
In opposite of the non-consumers, consumers of yogurt showed a higher mean score in the Prudent diet and were associated with lower body weight, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, BMI and lower levels of fasting total cholesterol and insulin.
Overweight and obese individuals with similar BMI score exhibited a more favorable cardio-metabolic risk profile with lower levels of plasma triglyceride and insulin when they consumed yogurt compared to those who did not. They determined no difference in total yogurt consumption across all BMI rankings, only the type of daily yogurt intake varied: normal-weight subjects consumed more high-fat yogurt and less fat-free servings compared to overweight and obese consumers.
