The RCT evidence is limited to 2 small, short-term, energy-restricted trials. They both showed greater weight losses with yogurt intervention, but the difference between the yogurt intervention and the control diet was only significant in one of these trials. There are some prospective observational studies that have examined the association between yogurt and weight gain.
The results of these studies are equivocal. Two of these studies reported that individuals with higher yogurt consumption gained less weight over time. One of these same studies also considered changes in waist circumference (WC) and showed that higher yogurt consumption was associated with smaller increases in WC.
Another examined weight and WC change separately by sex and baseline weight status. This showed benefits for both weight and WC changes for higher yogurt consumption in overweight men, but also found that higher yogurt consumption in normal-weight women was associated with a greater increase in weight over follow-up.
As we accumulate additional evidence for or against any benefit of yogurt consumption on weight management, it remains important to include yogurt as part of a healthy diet; it is a nutrient-dense, lower-calorie, satiating food that can help many people meet their recommended dairy intake.
