Children who drink whole-fat milk are leaner and have higher vitamin D levels, Canadian researchers find
Young children who drink whole cow’s milk tend to be leaner and have higher vitamin D levels than those who consume low-fat or skim milk, researchers say.
In a study of more than 2,700 children aged one to six, Toronto researchers found that those who drank whole milk had a body mass index (BMI) score almost a full unit lower than youngsters who drank one per cent or two per cent milk.
That’s comparable to the difference between having a healthy weight and being overweight, said Dr. Jonathon Maguire, a pediatrician at St. Michael’s Hospital who led the study.
Kids who consumed whole-fat milk were roughly three times less likely to be overweight or obese and two times less likely to have a vitamin D deficiency compared with children who were given one per cent milk, he said. Read more….