Yogurt consumption has been associated with health and well-being for centuries, but scientific research efforts on the potential health effects of conventional yogurt have mainly started during the last century. A recent scoping review led by the University of York (UK) assessed the volume of available evidence on the health effects of conventional yogurt.
More thant 200 studies
The review of an extensive literature search was conducted in November 2013. Randomized controlled trials were selected and categorized, according to the eligibility criteria, established in the protocol. 213 studies were identified as relevant to the scoping question :
- bone health (14 studies),
- weight management and nutrition related health outcomes (81 studies),
- metabolic health (6 studies);
- cardiovascular health (57 studies);
- gastrointestinal health (24 studies);
- cancer (39 studies);
- diabetes (13 studies),
- Other outcomes (14 studies).
Yogurt and weight gain
According to the authors, there is a substantial evidence base for investigating the health effects of conventional yogurt, which is more related to weight management and nutrition-related health outcomes, cardiovascular health, gastrointestinal health and cancer.
