One of the most recent studies has suggested that people who regularly eat yogurt are almost 30% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who do not (1). Speaking to public health officials at the III World Congress of Public Health Nutrition in Spain, Dr André Marette from the Heart and Lung Institute of Laval Hospital in Quebec, Canada, said it was time to recognize the all-round health benefits of yogurt and encourage more people to eat yogurt on a daily basis.

“Recent epidemiological studies have shown that yogurt consumption is associated with a better quality diet and metabolic profile and negatively associated with long-term weight gain,” he said. “New information has now emerged that fermented milk and yogurt consumption have the potential to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” Yogurt contains indeed important nutrients and specific peptides that may have positive effects on glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, thereby reducing cardiometabolic risk.”

Evidence for the prevention of type 2 diabetes

Individual studies and meta-analyses have evaluated the association between yogurt consumption and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The most recent systematic review of the literature – which included 7 cohort studies– found a non-linear relationship between yogurt consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes in people consuming up to 120 g/day of yogurt (2). No additional risk reduction was observed with an intake >120–140 g/day.

In a large epidemiological study, researchers at Cambridge University monitored the health of more than 4000 people over 11 years through the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) Norfolk cohort. Assessing food intake using comprehensive 7-day food diaries at study baseline, together with repeated health examinations, revealed that those who regularly ate low-fat fermented dairy products (i.e. products with <4% fat content such as yogurt – which accounted for 87% of all low-fat products consumed in this study – cheese and sour cream) were 24% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not.

And when researchers examined consumers of yogurt specifically, they found that people who ate approximately 4.5 standard pots of yogurt (80 g/day) each week benefitted from a 28% reduced relative risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to non consumers. “This study confirmed that yogurt was the most potent of all the dairy products studied in terms of diabetes risk reduction,” explained Dr. Marette. “Importantly, the association between yogurt consumption and a reduced risk of diabetes remained even after adjusting for potential confounding factors.”

Incorporating yogurt into daily life

While evidence from epidemiological studies for the benefits of yogurt in reducing cardiometabolic risk is now compelling, these studies have been performed in different countries using diverse methodologies (2). This makes it hard to draw firm conclusions on the amount of yogurt that should be consumed in order to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Most national dietary guidelines recommend two to three servings of dairy products each day – with yogurt to be consumed alongside other dairy products as part of a healthy diet.

“When choosing a yogurt, look for low energy-dense but high nutrient-dense products,” suggested Dr. Marette. “There is also some evidence that yogurts with probiotics have the potential to act on the gut microbiota, which can impact obesity-related diseases. Those made from milk fortified with vitamin D could potentiate the effect of yogurt on type 2 diabetes and health in general.”

Dr. Marette urged researchers to conduct more prospective studies investigating the effects of yogurt on cardiometabolic risk factors and to initiate clinical trials and experimental studies to demonstrate the causal effect of yogurt on the prevention of type 2 diabetes and the mechanisms underlying these beneficial effects. Such studies are needed to strengthen the evidence that yogurt, as part of a healthy, balanced diet, can help prevent type 2 diabetes and associated cardiometabolic disorders.

References

1. O’Connor LM, Lentjes MA, Luben RN, et al. Dietary dairy product intake and incident type 2 diabetes: a prospective study using dietary data from a 7-day food diary. Diabetologia 2014;57(5):909-17.

2. Aune D, Norat T, Romundstad P, et al. Dairy products and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;98(4):1066-83.

About the Yogurt in Nutrition Initiative (YINI)

The Yogurt in Nutrition Initiative for a Balanced Diet is a multi-year global, collaborative project led by the Danone Institute International (DII) in collaboration with the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) which aims to evaluate the current evidence base on the nutritional impact of yogurt. The mission of the project is to uncover scientific data related to yogurt, stimulate new research and identify gaps in our understanding of the health effects of this food category in order to share this information with professionals and the public. https://www.yogurtinnutrition.com; Twitter: @YogurtNutrition

Press contact: impressum health & science communication

Frank von Spee
Email: vonspee@impressum.de
Tel: +49 (0)40 – 31 78 64 10
Fax: +49 (0)40 – 31 78 64 64

The potential benefits of yogurt consumption to reduce weight gain over time have been confirmed in several recently-reported studies discussed today (1,2). Scientists have found that regular yogurt consumption is associated with less weight gain and a reduced risk of becoming overweight or obese.

Speaking to public health officials at the III World Congress of Public Health Nutrition in Spain, Professor Frans J Kok from the Division of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, underlined the potentially unique role of daily yogurt consumption for weight management. However, he also highlighted the need for randomized controlled trials and mechanistic studies to help understand how this might occur.

“Rising levels of overweight and obesity are a major concern across the globe and one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century,” he said. “Most adults between the ages of 18 and 49 years gain around one kilogram each year, which makes preventing weight gain a very real public health issue.”

Two studies demonstrated potential benefits

Two recently-reported studies have demonstrated the potential benefits of yogurt in weight management and in reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese. In the first study,1 which assessed the longitudinal association between dairy consumption and changes in body weight using 17 years of data (1991–2008) from members of the Framingham Heart Study Offspring Cohort, people who ate three or more servings of yogurt a week were found to gain 50% less weight over that time (P=0.03) and to have around a 20% smaller waistline circumference per year (P=0.008) than those who ate less than one serving of yogurt per week.

The second study prospectively followed more than 8500 men and women every 2 years between 1999 and 2012 to evaluate the association between yogurt consumption, annual weight gain, and the development of obesity (2). None of the study participants were overweight at the start of the study, however, after a median of 6.6 years, 1860 people had become overweight or obese.

The study found that those individuals who ate the most yogurt (at least seven servings per week) were least likely to become overweight or obese – with at least a 12% lower risk reported. “These studies add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that yogurt may have a beneficial effect on weight gain, but we need randomized, controlled studies to confirm this,” said Prof. Kok. “We also need to investigate the potential role of yogurt for weight loss in overweight individuals and to look specifically at the effects of yogurt in reducing excess body fat.”

How might yogurt exert its beneficial effects on weight?

Yogurt is rich in many nutrients, including protein, vitamins B-2, B-6, B-12, calcium, potassium, zinc and magnesium, and the acidity of yogurt increases the bioavailability of specific nutrients such as calcium. A recent review by Jacques and Wang (3) suggests a number of potential underlying mechanisms including the ability of calcium and other nutrients (e.g. whey and casein proteins, bioactive peptides, amino acids and fatty acids), which are abundant in yogurt, to facilitate loss of weight and fat mass, the possibility that yogurt may be more satiating than other foods, and the potential of the probiotic bacteria in yogurt to interact favorably with the gut microbiota.

“Yogurt is a concentrated source of nutrients and probiotics that have proven health benefits,” said Prof. Kok. “While further evidence for the benefit of yogurt consumption on weight management is needed, there seems little doubt that plain yogurt fits well in a healthy diet because it is a nutrient-dense, lower-calorie food that can help individuals meet their nutritional targets.”

References

1. Wang H, Troy LM, Rogers GT, et al. Longitudinal association between dairy consumption and changes of body weight and waist circumference: the Framingham Heart Study. Int J Obes (Lond) 2014;38(2):299-305.

2. Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Sayon-Orea C, Ruiz-Canela M, et al.Yogurt consumption, weight change and risk of overweight/obesity: The SUN cohort study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2014 Jun 15. pii: S0939-4753(14)00197-5. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2014.05.015. [Epub ahead of print]

3. Jacques PF, Wang H. Yogurt and weight management. Am J Clin Nutr 2014 May;99(5 Suppl):1229S-34S.

About the Yogurt in Nutrition Initiative (YINI)

The Yogurt in Nutrition Initiative for a Balanced Diet is a multi-year global, collaborative project led by the Danone Institute International (DII) in collaboration with the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) which aims to evaluate the current evidence base on the nutritional impact of yogurt. The mission of the project is to uncover scientific data related to yogurt, stimulate new research and identify gaps in our understanding of the health effects of this food category in order to share this information with professionals and the public. https://www.yogurtinnutrition.com; Twitter : @YogurtNutrition

Press contact: impressum health & science communication

Frank von Spee
Email: vonspee@impressum.de
Tel: +49 (0)40 – 31 78 64 10
Fax: +49 (0)40 – 31 78 64 64

Experts at the III World Congress of Public Health Nutrition in Spain have today discussed the most recent evidence demonstrating the benefits of regular yogurt consumption on health, and have urged more people to eat yogurt every day as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

“Yogurt is a concentrated source of important nutrients that contribute to health in many different ways,” said Dr André Marette from the Heart and Lung Institute of Laval Hospital in Quebec, Canada. “Most dietary guidelines recommend two to three servings of dairy products each day, and all the evidence points to the importance of making yogurt one of them.”

 Yogurt helps reduce weight gain

Two recent studies have demonstrated the potential benefits of yogurt in reducing weight gain and the risk of becoming overweight or obese. In the first study (1) which followed more than 6500 people for 17 years, those who ate more than three servings of yogurt a week were found to gain 50% less weight during that time and to have around a 20% smaller waistline than those who ate less than one serving a week. The second study found that individuals who ate the most yogurt (an average of at least one yogurt a day) were least likely to become overweight or obese – reducing the risk by more than 10% (2).

“Rising levels of overweight and obesity are a major concern across the globe and one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century,” said Professor Frans J Kok from the Division of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. “While further evidence is needed, these recent studies add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that yogurt may have a beneficial effect on weight gain.”

Yogurt helps prevent the development of type 2 diabetes