Abstract
BACKGROUND: Prior studies have provided conflicting evidence about association between dairy intake and childhood obesity. This study aimed to investigate the associations between different types of dairy intakes and general and abdominal obesity in children. METHODS: Continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation, whereas categorical variables were shown as numbers and percentages. The differences in participant characteristics among dairy intake groups were compared using independent groups t-test or one-way ANOVA for continuous variables. Logistic regression models were fitted to assess the association between total dairy intake, full-fat dairy intake, low-fat dairy intake, milk and yogurt and the risk of general and abdominal obesity. RESULTS: A total of 7,765 children (53.72% boys) aged 9.08 ± 1.73 years participated in this analysis. Of these children, 87.60% (6,802/7,765) did not reach the recommended daily intake of 300 ml of dairy. Overweight and obese children had higher intakes of low-fat dairy (19.62 ± 2.10 vs. 26.02 ± 0.82 vs. 36.75 ± 1.98 vs. 38.86 ± 4.86, p < 0.001) and yogurt (41.80 ± 2.48 vs. 49.54 ± 0.92 vs. 55.27 ± 1.96 vs. 59.47 ± 4.93, p < 0.001) than other peers. Similarly, these trends were observed among children with abdominal and non-abdominal obesity. After adjusting for confounders, higher intakes of low-fat dairy (body mass index z- scores (BMIz): OR = 1.060, 95% CI: 1.038-1.082, p < 0.001; waist circumference (WC): OR = 1.057, 95% CI: 1.034-1.081, p < 0.001; waist-to-height ratio (WHtR): OR = 1.049, 95% CI: 1.027-1.070, p < 0.001) and yogurt (BMIz: OR = 1.026, 95% CI: 1.006-1.047, p = 0.006; WC: OR = 1.024, 95% CI: 1.002-1.047, p = 0.031; WHtR: OR = 1.028, 95% CI: 1.008-1.048, p = 0.006) were associated with higher odds ratio of general and abdominal obesity. CONCLUSION: The association between dairy intake and general as well as abdominal obesity in children varies depending on the type of dairy. Low-fat dairy intake and yogurt intake are positively associated with childhood general and abdominal obesity.