13 Jan 2016
1 min read
Benefits for human health

How dairy contributes to overal diet quality

Mary Murphy
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Table of contents

142 grams per day

Dairy consumption was estimated for different age groups: 10-18 years, 19-59 years and 60+ years. It covered milk (including flavored milk), cheese and yogurt. The average consumption over 10 years and in all age groups has been evaluated at 142 g per day. In the 10-18 and 60+ age groups, yogurt consumption is higher in urban areas than in rural areas.

Vitamins and minerals

Despite a modest consumption of dairy products, the study shows that this category of products plays a significant role on nutritional intakes. It covers 6.1% of the total energy, supplies 7.3% of the protein intake and between 10.2% and 37.9% of the daily intake of calcium, vitamin D, phosphorous, Vitamin A and potassium. Furthermore, it has to be noticed that dairy products contribute only 4.3% to the intake of added sugars.

Source: “Daily intake of dairy products in Brazil and contributions to nutrient intakes: a cross-sectional study” by Mary M Murphy, Leila M Barraj, Lindsey D Toth, Laura S Harkness and Douglas R Bolster. (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1368980015001780.). The article appears in Public Health Nutrition, Published online: 19 June 2015.