A team of searchers from Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Xi’an, Shaanxi, P.R. China, analysed PubMed, EMBASE and Scopus for studies of dairy product intake and T2DM risk published up to the end of October 2012. They included 14 articles on cohort studies that reported RR estimates and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of T2DM with intake of dairy products.

Results showed an inverse linear association between the total consumption of dairy products, low-fat dairy products, cheese and yogurt and the risk of T2DM. The pooled RRs were 0.94 and 0.88 for 200 g/day total and low-fat dairy consumption respectively. The pooled RRs were 0.80 and 0.91 for 30 g/d cheese and 50 g/d yogurt consumption respectively.

These results suggest that increasing the intake of dairy products such as low-fat dairy, cheese and yogurt may reduce the risk of T2DM. However, further cohort studies are warranted to investigate the specific types of dairy products in the association, any gender-specific recommendations, and biomarkers of dairy intake.

Source: Gao D, Ning N, Wang C, Wang Y, Li Q, et al. (2013) Dairy Products Consumption and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis. PLoS ONE 8(9): e73965. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0073965

In this study, data was analyzed from 5,124 children aged 2-18 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the USA between 2003 and 2006. The frequency of yogurt consumption over 12 months was determined using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Diet quality was assessed by the Healthy Eating Index 2005 (HEI-2005) using one 24-HR dietary recall, and metabolic profiles were obtained from the NHANES laboratory data.

Frequent consumers (33.1% of children) consumed yogurt at least once per week. Adjusting for covariates, they had better diet quality than infrequent consumers, as indicated by a higher HEI-2005 total score. Frequent yogurt consumption was also associated with a lower fasting insulin level, a lower homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, and a higher quantitative insulin sensitivity check index.

Source: Zhu Y1, Wang H, Hollis JH, Jacques PF. The associations between yogurt consumption, diet quality, and metabolic profiles in children in the USA. Eur J Nutr. 2014 Jul 18. [e-pub ahead of print]

Prof Toon Van Hooijdonk (Wageningen University, the Netherlands) recalled the challenges faced by exponential worldwide population growth with the availability of food supplies. In this respect, dietary proteins will play a decisive role in the coming decades in meeting needs in the face of limited resources and the production of greenhouse gases. In the case of dairy products, the FAO is expecting an explosion in demand, with an increase from 700 billion to 1000 billion kg between now and 2050.

This demand will force the entire dairy sector to increase milk production by dairy cows by improving the animals’ ability (which has already risen by about 25%) to convert poor quality proteins (i.e. vegetable proteins) into high quality proteins, whilst taking care to minimise their ecological footprint.

Certain probiotics, in particular specific strains of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, may also interact with the mood and/or behavior of an individual, especially stress and anxiety, as Dr John Bienenstock (McMaster University, Canada) emphasised.

These effects can be explained by the bidirectional communication that is established between the brain and the intestines during digestion.

Rising obesity rates are a major concern across the globe especially in North America, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 40 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2011. Childhood obesity is becoming a growing epidemic, and it is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century.

Research is showing that there is a link between yogurt consumption and waist circumference in adolescents. A recent study, presented by Luis Moreno, PhD (Spain), found that the influence of dairy foods in heart health seems to start when we’re young. Detailing the HELENA study’s results, from 9 European countries (Greece, Germany, Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Austria, and Spain), corresponding to 10 European cities, Dr. Moreno showed that girls who had more milk and yogurt had lower risks of CVD.

In both boys and girls, milk and yogurt consumption was also linked with being slimmer, as shown by measurements of their waist circumference and sum of skinfolds. In addition, the Framingham Children’s Study suggests that sufficient intake of milk, fruit, and vegetables during childhood can reduce body fat during adolescence.

There is growing evidence that indicates that yogurt is not only linked with reduced weight gain, but it is also connected with a lower risk of some of our most common life-threatening diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The obesity issue is largely preventable, and should be a priority as obese children are more likely to stay obese into adulthood.

This scientific report presents you the best moments of this half day of #YINI2014: sessions, hot topics & posters.

Click here to view it. You will also find in this blog post the abstract booklet, which includes biographies for conference speakers and session chairs. Wrap-up to conclude on the key role of Yogurt for the future (Frans Kok, The Netherlands)

Uniting a world-class multidisciplinary group of experts, the YINI conference was an opportunity for guest speakers to share their expertise about yogurt on the latest innovations and research in the fields of obesity, body composition, appetite control, bone health, gut microbiota, nutrient density, metabolic diseases and sustainability.

The conference addressed particularly the role yogurt can play in tackling the rising global obesity epidemic and the increase in type 2 diabetes by empowering consumers to make decisions that can improve their health and quality of life.

The sessions was co-chairing by Sharon Donovan, from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who is past president of ASN, and Raanan Shamir, from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine Tel Aviv University, who is also President of the Danone Institute International. The sessions welcomed the following keynote speakers:

• Prof Mauro Fisberg (Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brasil) : who covered the history of yoghurt through the centuries, emphasising its close links to the evolution of civilisations, and described current patterns of consumption.
• Prof Luis Moreno (University of Zaragoza, Spain) : who reminded of the critical need for dairy products in childhood and adolescence, particularly for cardiovascular health later in life.
• Prof Angelo Tremblay (Laval University, Canada) : who showed the properties of yogurt promoting a facilitation of appetite control and reduction of energy intake.
• Prof Robert Wolfe (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, USA) : who stressed the importance of a protein-rich diet for senior citizens, not just to maintain muscle mass and strength, but also for cardiovascular and bone health.
• Prof René Rizzoli (University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland) : who highlighted the the recent recommendation from the ESCEO task force about important role of protein and vitamine D intakes and regular physical activity on muscle mass and strength and bone health.
• Prof Nita Forouhi (University of Cambridge School of Medicine, UK) : who disclosed the promising discoveries relating to the effect of low-fat yogurt on the development of type-2 diabetes.
• Prof Olivier Goulet (Necker Hospital – Enfants Malades, Paris, France) and Prof John Bienenstock (McMaster University, Canada) : who discussed the importance of the advances made in recent years in the analysis of the composition and understanding of the function of intestinal microbiota and its connexions with various systems, like the adipose tissue or the nervous system.
• Prof Toon Van Hooijdonk (Wageningen University, The Netherlands) : who explained how cows convert human-inedible feed into nutrient rich milk and showed why dairy foods such as yogurt should be an important food group to assure nutrient security for the future.

To find out what is driving the science of yogurt in the future, download the scientific report and associated materials below.

As part of the symposium, YINI’s Team have put this infographic with all you need to know about yogurt.

It’s no secret that yogurt is good for you. Yogurt is full of things we want more of; it is nutrient dense, and it contains calcium, potassium, magnesium, proteins and live ferments. But did you know that yogurt is also associated with things we want less of? Recent research shows that yogurt may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 28 percent

During the 2nd Global Summit on the Health Effects of Yogurt, Nita Forouhi, MRC Epidemiology Unit Programme Leader and Public Health Physician in Cambridge, UK, highlighted the encouraging data on the positive effects of yogurt during the “Dietary Dairy Product Intake and Incident Type 2 Diabetes” session.

During the fringe poster sessions at the conference, Dr Paul Jacques (Tufts University, USA) presented the results of a study showing the interesting impact of yoghurt on metabolic diseases.

Conducted among American consumers, this study demonstrated that the consumption of yoghurt is associated with a reduction in the risk of incidence of hypertension, and emphasises that each weekly portion of yoghurt can reduce this risk by 6.

Yogurt and yogurt rich protein facilitate short-term control of appetite and energy, as presented by Angelo Tremblay, PhD, at the 2nd Global Summit on the Health Effects of Yogurt.

Dr. Tremblay has conducted extensive research related to obesity and particularly satiety. Satiety—with a reduced energy intake—is actually promoted by dairy proteins. Recently, an afternoon snack of greek yogurt, rich in protein, has been shown to reduce hunger, increase fullness. Meanwhile, research shows that lower calcium intake is associated with higher food intake, which has been hypothesized to be an attempt at restoring calcium homeostasis.

Yogurt consumption can facilitate appetite control through replacement of some less healthy foods like carbonated and sweetened beverages low in calcium, by providing essential nutrients such as calcium and protein, and towards the design of satiating yogurt rich in protein or fibers that can have a long-term favorable effect on body weight.

Prof. Olivier Goulet (Hospital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris, France) reminded us of the importance of the advances made in recent years in the analysis of the composition and understanding of the function of intestinal microbiota.

One of the first points that he particularly stressed dealt with the considerable impact of microbiotic colonisation after birth upon the health of the future adult. The specialist used the term “microbiotical programming” to explain this phenomenon, which can be disrupted in particular by premature birth, Caesarean section or the use of baby formula instead of breast milk.

Numerous recent research projects have also clearly established a link between obesity and the composition and functions of intestinal flora. On this subject, certain studies have suggested a potential role for fermented milk products as well as probiotics and prebiotics in regulating intestinal flora, among the future options that may contribute to the prevention of obesity as well as other pathologies such as inflammatory diseases or allergies.