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24 Oct 2018
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3 min read
Nutrimad 2018

Abstract: Importance of breakfast in children. What role may yogurt have?

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The central theme of this new YINI symposium, organized on the 25 October, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm,  is “Yogurt as a vehicle of healthy eating in children”. Discover below the abstract of Ana María López Sobaler.

Importance of breakfast in children. What role may yogurt have?

Ana María LOPEZ-SOBALE – Department of Nutrition and Food Science. Faculty of Pharmacy. Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Breakfast is one of the most controversial meals, and its importance is often questioned. However, there are numerous studies that link the habit of eating breakfast with a better nutritional status and better health in general.

In the ALADINO study, for example, conducted in Spanish children between 6 and 9 years of age, skipping breakfast regularly was associated with a higher BMI and a higher percentage of schoolchildren with obesity (AECOSAN, 2016).

Eating breakfast is also associated with better diet quality in school-age children and a higher intake of nutrients in general (Ramsay et al., 2018), which highlights the important role of this meal as a vehicle for foods that do not tend to be eaten at other times of the day or that are eaten in insufficient quantities.

One of the criteria used to define a good quality breakfast is the inclusion of cereals, dairy products and fruit in the meal as a minimum. However, fewer than 3% of the Spanish schoolchildren in the ALADINO study included these three food groups in their normal breakfast, with a dairy product and a cereal being the most frequent combination. On the other hand, in the ENALIA study, conducted in a Spanish population between 6 months and 17 years of age, it was found that the average consumption of dairy products and fruit was low with much scope for improvement, and that a high percentage of schoolchildren and adolescents had an insufficient intake of nutrients such as Calcium, Folate or Vitamin D (López-Sobaler et al., 2017).

In this regard, yogurt is a food of high nutritional density, and its incorporation into breakfast may help to improve the intake of some of the nutrients which people are not eating enough of. The incorporation of yogurt may also serve as a vehicle for including other foods such as fruit.

Sources:
  • AECOSAN (Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition). Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality. Estudio de vigilancia del crecimiento, alimentación, actividad física, desarrollo infantil y obesidad en España 2015. Madrid, 2016.
  • López-Sobaler AM, Aparicio A, González-Rodríguez LG, Cuadrado-Soto E, Rubio J, et al. Adequacy of Usual Vitamin and Mineral Intake in Spanish Children and Adolescents: ENALIA Study. Nutrients. 2017 Feb 13;9(2). pii:E131.
  • Ramsay SA, Bloch TD, Marriage B, Shriver LH, Spees CK, Taylor CA. Skipping breakfast is associated with lower diet quality in young US children. Eur J Clin 2018 Apr;72(4):548-556.
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23 Oct 2018
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3 min read
Nutrimad 2018

Abstract: Potential health benefits of combining yogurt and fruits

fruits marette nutrimad prebiotics probiotics yogurt
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The central theme of this new YINI symposium, organized on the 25 October, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm,  is “Yogurt as a vehicle of healthy eating in children”. Discover below the abstract of André Marette.

Potential health benefits of combining yogurt and fruits

André MARETTE – Heart and Lung Institute, Laval Hospital /  Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods, Laval University (Canada).

Yogurt is a nutrient rich food containing a combination of nutrients that are important for growth and development during childhood and adolescence. Proper nutrition at these key times promotes health in adulthood. A growing body of evidence further suggests that yogurt consumption is associated with lower body weight gain and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in adults.

As a nutrient-rich fermented dairy food, yogurt provides children with an excellent source of key nutrients for growth and developments. Furthermore, yogurt contains live bacteria and the bioactive bi-products of fermentation are thought to provide additional health benefits, such as favoring a healthy gut microbiota. In addition to containing several key nutrients and bioactives, yogurt can also be viewed as a vector to increase the intake of other foods. In this regard, it can increase the consumption of fruits.

Fruit and yogurt have been identified individually as indicators of healthy dietary patterns. Fruits are relatively low in energy density and are an excellent source of antioxidants and prebiotic fibers and polyphenols, which can promote digestive health. Yogurt on the other hand, is a nutrient dense food that is a good source of dairy protein, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B12, conjugated linoleic acid and other key fatty acids. In addition, it contains beneficial bacterial cultures, making it a potential source of probiotics. Yogurt’s unique fermented food matrix provides added health benefits by enhancing nutrient absorption and digestion.

Combining intakes of yogurt and fruit could provide probiotics, prebiotics, high quality protein, important fatty acids and a mixture of vitamins and minerals that have potential to exert synergistic effects on health. Yogurt consumption has been associated with reduced weight gain and lower incidence of type 2 diabetes, whereas fruits have established effects on reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease. Yogurt and fruits can be eaten together and may exert combined health benefits through potential prebiotic and probiotic effects.

Furthermore, substituting high energy, nutrient deficient snacks with fruit and yogurt could reduce intakes of high calorie obesogenic foods. In light of the positive cardiometabolic impacts of fruit and yogurt and their association to healthy dietary patterns, there is sufficient evidence to warrant further exploration into the potential synergistic health benefits of combined intakes of fruit and yogurt.

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22 Oct 2018
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3 min read
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by YINI Editorial team
Healthy Diets & Lifestyle

Yogurt and cheese consumption is a sign of a healthy diet

YINI Editorial team
The YINI team includes nutritionists, food engineers, registered dietitians and scientific writers.
fermentation fermented dairy healthy diet healthy eating Mediterranean nutrient-dense foods
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We’re all encouraged to follow a Mediterranean-style diet that focuses on plant-based foods, fish and fermented dairy products. This diet seems to be part of the formula hit upon by Mediterranean people for enjoying long healthy lives.  Including fermented dairy foods such as yogurt and cheese within this healthy diet is a great way of taking in gut-friendly bacteria and lots of protein, vitamins and minerals. Evidence suggests that cheese in particular may also help to reduce risk factors linked to heart disease and stroke.

The authors of this study looked at the dietary habits of overweight elderly people in Spain who had risk factors that made it more likely that they would suffer a heart attack or stroke. These cardiometabolic risk factors could include excess fat around their waist, high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels/type 2 diabetes, low blood levels of ‘good’ cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol), and/or high blood levels of triglycerides.

People who eat yogurt and cheese have a healthier diet

Nearly all the people the authors assessed consumed at least some fermented dairy products. People who frequently ate yogurt or cheese had a healthier diet overall than people who didn’t eat these foods very often. The frequent consumers of fermented foods ate more fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts and wholemeal bread, and less white bread, cookies and alcohol than the infrequent consumers.

‘Our results show that, compared to consumers below the median, high consumers of total fermented dairy products had a better quality of diet and a greater adherence to the MedDiet.’ – Mena-Sánchez et al, 2018.

Do fermented dairy products affect the risk of developing disease?

The authors found that total intake of yogurt and cheese was not associated with any of the risk factors for heart disease or stroke.

They also didn’t see any association when they looked at total yogurt intake, or specifically at whole-fat yogurt or low-fat yogurt.

Cheese is linked to improved blood lipids (fats)

In the overall study population, eating cheese frequently was associated with a 12% reduction in the risk of having low blood levels of ‘good’ HDL-cholesterol. It was also associated with a 17% reduction in the risk of having high blood levels of triglycerides.

‘…those individuals in higher quartiles of cheese consumption had a lower prevalence of low HDL-cholesterol and hypertriglyceridemia….’ – Mena-Sánchez et al, 2018.

The authors are keen that more studies are done to look at the effects of fermented dairy products on risk factors so that people can be given clear dietary advice. Preventing inflammation may be more important than blood cholesterol levels in explaining the benefits, they say.

Find out more: read the original article.
Source: Mena-Sánchez G, Babio N, Martínez-González MÁ et al. Fermented dairy products, diet quality, and cardio–metabolic profile of a Mediterranean cohort at high cardiovascular risk. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2018.
YINI Editorial team
The YINI team includes nutritionists, food engineers, registered dietitians and scientific writers.
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18 Oct 2018
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2 min read
Nutrimad 2018

Next YINI Symposium : Learn more about André Marette

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YINI experts will gather during the coming IV World Congress of Public Health and Nutrition, held jointly with the  XII Congress of the Spanish Society for Community Nutrition (SENC), to be held on 24-27 October 2018 in Madrid (Spain). The central theme of this new YINI symposium, organized on the 25 October, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm,  is “Yogurt as vehicle of healthy eating in children” .

André Marette  will speak about the potential health benefits of combining yogurt and fruits. 

Dr. Marette is Professor of Medicine at the Heart and Lung Institute, Laval Hospital, and Scientific Director of the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods at Laval University (Canada).  He also holds a research Chair on the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and cardiovascular diseases (CVD).

Dr. Marette is an international renowned expert on the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and cardiometabolic diseases and his research has advanced the understanding of the physiological and /molecular mechanisms of inflammation, and opened new possibilities for prevention and treatment and type 2 diabetes and CVD. He is also studying how nutrition and food ingredients can modulate the gut microbiota to protect against obesity-linked intestinal inflammation, fatty liver disease and type 2 diabetes.

He holds grants from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Canadian Diabetes Association, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Dr. Marette has long-standing experience in leading international research programs, which all have in common the multidisciplinary nature of the teams and the implication of various end-users (e.g. industry, government).

Dr. Marette has received several awards for his work including the prestigious Young Scientist Award of the Canadian Diabetes Association and the Charles Best Award from the University of Toronto for his overall contribution to the advancement of scientific knowledge in the field of diabetes. He has published over 200 papers, reviews and book chapters.

He has been invited to give more than a hundred lectures at various national & international conferences in the last 10 years. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief for the Am J Physiol: Endo & Metab. and has authored two books including the recent book Yogurt: Roles in Nutrition and Impacts on Health, edited by CRC press.

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18 Oct 2018
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2 min read
Nutrimad 2018

Next YINI Symposium: Learn more about Ana Maria Lopez Sobaler

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YINI experts will gather during the coming IV World Congress of Public Health and Nutrition, held jointly with the  XII Congress of the Spanish Society for Community Nutrition (SENC), to be held on 24-27 October 2018 in Madrid (Spain). The central theme of this new YINI symposium, organized on the 25 October, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm,  is “Yogurt as vehicle of healthy eating in children” .

Ana María López-Sobaler  will speak about the importance of breakfast in children. 

Ana María López Sobaler is Associate Professor of Nutrition and Bromatology and Head of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at the Complutense University of Madrid. She attained her degree in Pharmacy in 1990 and her PhD in Pharmacist in 1996.

Her researches focus on the study of the nutritional status and the impact of nutritional deficiencies/excesses on physical and mental health. She has been involved in important nutritional studies of reference at national level, in collaboration with the Spanish Agency for Consumer Affairs, Food Safety and Nutrition (AECOSAN), such as ALADINO Study (according with the COSI strategy from the European WHO office, which aims monitoring childhood obesity in Europe); ENALIA and ENALIA2 Studies, both National Food Surveys for children, adolescents and adults, including pregnant women. These three studies provide the reference data regarding childhood obesity and consumption of food and nutrients in the Spanish population.

Ana Maria López Sobaler is also interested on the development and validation of tools to assess the diet and nutritional status and nutritional education of the general population.

She is author/co-author of over 200 original, scientific papers, reviews and book chapters. She has also supervised 25 PhD students to date.

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18 Oct 2018
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2 min read
Nutrimad 2018

Next YINI Symposium: learn more about Luis Moreno

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Table of contents

YINI experts will gather during the coming IV World Congress of Public Health and Nutrition, held jointly with the  XII Congress of the Spanish Society for Community Nutrition (SENC), to be held on 24-27 October 2018 in Madrid (Spain). The central theme of this new YINI symposium, organized on the 25 October, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm,  is “Yogurt as vehicle of healthy eating in children” .

Luis Moreno  will speak about the “foods, dietary patterns and obesity development in children”.

Luis A. Moreno is Professor of Public Health at the University of Zaragoza (Spain). He did his training as Medical Doctor and his PhD thesis at the University of Zaragoza.

He studied Human Nutrition and Public and Community Health at the University of Nancy (France). He has participated in several research projects supported by the Spanish Ministry of Health, and the European commission (HELENA, IDEFICS, EURRECCA, ENERGY, ToyBox, iFamily and Feel4Diabetes).

He has published more than 600 papers in peer reviewed journals. He is the coordinator of the GENUD (Growth, Exercise, Nutrition and Development) research group, at the University of Zaragoza. He is a former member of the ESPGHAN Committee of Nutrition, former President of the Spanish Nutrition Society and President of the Danone Institute of Spain.

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15 Oct 2018
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2 min read
Weight management

How might yogurt influence weight and body fat?

body weight calcium inflammation obesity protein Weight management
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“Yogurt consumption is associated with reduced weight gain over time” is one is one of the 10 evidence-based conclusions made by the YINI board about the health effects of yogurt… learn more below.

How might yogurt influence weight and body fat?

Several theories have been put forward on how yogurt consumption might influence weight and body fat:

  • Calcium in yogurt may affect body fat by reducing its absorption from the intestine, and causing less fat to be stored in fat cells.
  • Live bacteria in yogurt may beneficially alter the gut microbiota and influence weight, although the mechanism for this is as yet unclear.
  • Obesity is accompanied by chronic, low-grade inflammation in various tissues. A recent Brazilian population-based study suggests that increasing yogurt consumption may protect against inflammation.

“Proteins may influence appetite-regulating hormones, calcium may affect fat absorption, and live bacteria may alter gut microbiota – all of which may explain the beneficial effects that yogurt may have on body weight.” – Professor Frans Kok

References:

  • Marette A, Picard-Deland E. Yogurt consumption and impact on health: focus on children and cardiometabolic risk. Am J Clin Nutr 2014;99:1243S–7S.
  • Jacques PF, Wang H. Yogurt and weight management. Am J Clin Nutr 2014;99(5 Suppl):1229S–34S.
  • Christensen R, Lorenzen JK, Svith CR, et al. Effect of calcium from dairy and dietary supplements on faecal fat excretion: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Obes Rev 2009;10:475–86.
  • Zemel MB. Role of calcium and dairy products in energy partitioning and weight management. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;79:907S–12S.
  • Kallus SJ, Brandt LJ. The intestinal microbiota and obesity. J Clin Gastroenterol 2012;46:16–24.
  • Pei R, Martin DA, DiMarco DM, et al. Evidence for the effects of yogurt on gut health and obesity. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2017;57:1569–83.
  • Gadotti TN, Norde MM, Rogero MM, et al. Dairy consumption and inflammatory profile: a cross-sectional populationbasedstudy, São Paulo, Brazil. Nutrition 2018;48:1–5.

“Yogurt for health: 10 evidence-based conclusion”

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15 Oct 2018
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4 min read
Nutri-dense food

The dairy matrix – why dairy foods may differ in the nutrition they provide

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It’s common knowledge that dairy products are a rich source of several health-promoting nutrients, notably protein and calcium. But did you know that the different structures and textures of dairy products can have an impact on how much of these nutrients reach your bloodstream? That’s why fermented products such as yogurt may hold certain nutritional advantages over non-fermented dairy products. Greater understanding of dairy food structure and nutrient absorption could pave the way to developing innovative dairy products that improve the nutritional status of the elderly or people who are obese.

Much of what we know about healthy eating has come from studies of the health effects of single nutrients (e.g. protein, fat, vitamins, minerals). But we know now that the relationship between nutrition and health is much more complicated than that. For a start, we don’t eat single nutrients by themselves, but a mixture of whole foods. Studies have shown that the different structures and textures of dairy foods can determine how well nutrients are digested and absorbed by our bodies.

What is a food matrix?

Dairy foods are a complex mix of various nutrients and other components which together form the ‘food matrix’. There are three main types of dairy food matrix – liquid (milk and some fermented milks), semi-solid (yogurt and some fresh cheeses) and solid (most cheeses). The nutritional value of dairy foods depends not only on the nutrients they contain but also on their matrix structures, say the authors of this article.

The food matrix effect means that the nutrient content of a food does not necessarily predict its health properties. A good example is cheese. Although cheese contains a lot of saturated fat, which is linked to high levels of harmful fats in the blood and heart disease, studies have failed to show that cheese consumption increases the risk of heart disease. 

What is bioavailability?

Not all the nutrients in the foods we eat are absorbed during their passage through our gut. Bioavailability refers to the proportion of a nutrient in the food that is absorbed into our bloodstream and is available for use by our bodies.

Processing methods may affect nutrient bioavailability in dairy foods

The processing methods involved in making the dairy products we eat can affect the bioavailability of nutrients. Fermenting milk to form yogurt or cheese releases, from proteins, some amino acids that can be absorbed directly, and may also improve protein digestion in the gut. Fermentation also seems to increase the solubility of calcium in the gut so that it’s more readily absorbed.

Firmer dairy products such as yogurt and cheese delay transit through the gut and are broken down less rapidly during digestion, and so the nutrients are absorbed more gradually and we may feel fuller for longer.

‘It is believed that lactic fermentation is responsible for the formation of new peptides during gastrointestinal digestion. Compared to milk, yogurt could also delay intestinal nitrogen delivery, but not final absorption.’ – Fardet et al, 2018.

Homogenisation of milk so that the cream does not separate reduces the size of the fat droplets. This increases the surface area on which fat-digesting enzymes can act, releasing more fatty acids that can be absorbed.

Understanding the dairy food matrix could improve nutrition

The matrix effect of dairy foods needs to be looked at more closely, say the authors. This knowledge could then be put to good use. Different dairy matrices may be better suited to particular groups of people. For example, elderly people may benefit from dairy foods that allow high levels of nutrients to be absorbed rapidly, whereas people who are obese may benefit from products that release nutrients more slowly.

‘Data collected show different kinetics of bioavailability of amino acids, fatty acids and calcium according to the physicochemical parameters of these [dairy] matrices, including compactness, hardness, elasticity, protein/lipid ratio, P/Ca [phosphorus/calcium] ratio, effect of ferments, size of fat globules, and possibly other qualitative parameters yet to be discovered.’ – Fardet et al, 2018.

Find out more: read the original article.
Source: Fardet A, Dupont D, Rioux L-E et al. Influence of food structure on dairy protein, lipid and calcium bioavailability: a narrative review of evidence. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2018 Feb 2:1-24.
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08 Oct 2018
•
3 min read
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by YINI Editorial team
Fermentation benefits Weight management

Could fortified yogurt help fight the flab?

YINI Editorial team
The YINI team includes nutritionists, food engineers, registered dietitians and scientific writers.
ferments gut health microbiota obesity probiotic Weight management
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If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you’ll know only too well how hard it can be to persevere long term with a calorie-controlled diet and exercise programme. Is there anything else people can do alongside this strategy to help them shape up and reduce the risk of developing chronic disease? Eating fortified yogurt as part of a calorie-controlled diet could be the answer, say the authors of this article.  

Healthy, sustainable weight loss involves losing body fat while maintaining muscle mass, but this is easier said than done with a calorie-controlled diet. The good news is that there are some foods that can make it easier to shed surplus fat. The results of this study in overweight and obese people suggest that eating fortified yogurt while on a calorie-restricted diet could help with fat loss and reduce risk factors linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Why fortify yogurt?

This study recruited overweight or obese people with risk factors that made it more likely they would develop type 2 diabetes and heart disease (e.g. excess fat around the waist, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, high blood triglycerides, low blood HDL-cholesterol). During the 10-week study, the participants ate a calorie-controlled diet including two daily servings of either low-fat plain yogurt or yogurt fortified with whey protein, calcium, vitamin D, prebiotic fibre and probiotic cultures. These have been shown to have positive effects on fat loss, muscle mass, blood lipids, blood pressure and insulin sensitivity.

Fortified yogurt was associated with greater fat loss

People who ate fortified yogurt lost similar amounts of weight as those who ate plain yogurt. Both groups lost 5–6% of their body weight while on the 10-week calorie-controlled diet, and this was associated with lower blood pressure.

‘The observed improvements in blood pressure are also likely due to weight loss. However, the yogurt consumption of both groups may have had a lowering effect on blood pressure due to bioactive peptides present in fermented milk products.’ – Mohammadi-Sartang et al, 2018.

But the fortified yogurt showed some important advantages. People who ate fortified yogurt lost more body fat, had a greater reduction in waist size, and showed greater improvements in insulin sensitivity and blood lipids. Fortified yogurt was also associated with less muscle loss.

Heathy gut bacteria may help to reduce body fat

Prebiotics and probiotics can modulate the gut microbiota and there is some evidence that this may help with weight loss. Lots of possible explanations have been suggested, including effects on fat digestion, reducing toxins in the gut, and reducing the size of fat-storing cells.

The authors say that more work needs to be done to find out if fortified yogurt could be used to prevent or treat risk factors in obese people. If so, it could be a way of eating your way to fat loss and better health.

‘Consuming FY [fortified yogurt] for 10 weeks improved body composition and metabolic parameters while on a caloric-restricted diet.’ – Mohammadi-Sartang et al, 2018.

Find out more: read the original article.

Source: Mohammadi-Sartang M, Bellissimo N, Totosy de Zepetnek JO et al. The effect of daily fortified yogurt consumption on weight loss in adults with metabolic syndrome: a 10-week randomized controlled trial. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2018;28:565-574.

YINI Editorial team
The YINI team includes nutritionists, food engineers, registered dietitians and scientific writers.
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08 Oct 2018
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2 min read
Weight management

Yogurt may help when dieting

dieting obesity overweight weight gain
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“Yogurt consumption is associated with reduced weight gain over time” is one is one of the 10 evidence-based conclusions made by the YINI board about the health effects of yogurt… learn more below.

Yogurt may help when dieting

  • Some evidence exists to suggest that including yogurt in a calorie-controlled diet leads to greater
    weight loss.
  • A 3-month trial in 34 obese people found that those including three servings of fat-free yogurt daily as part of an energy-restricted diet lost 22% more body weight and 61% more body fat than those not eating yogurt.

“In terms of obesity, dairy products in general, and yogurt in particular, have either a neutral or a positive association with reduced body fat both in adults and in children.” – Professor Luis Moreno

References:

  • Chen M, Pan A, Malik VS, et al. Effects of dairy intake on body weight and fat: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr 2012;96:735–47.
  • Jacques PF, Wang H. Yogurt and weight management. Am J Clin Nutr 2014;99(5 Suppl):1229S–34S.
  • Zemel MB, Richards J, Mathis S, et al. Dairy augmentation of total and central fat loss in obese subjects. Int J Obes (Lond) 2005:29:391–7.

“Yogurt for health: 10 evidence-based conclusion”

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