There’s little scientific evidence behind recommendations by US health organizations that kids should stop eating full-fat dairy after the age of two, according a new analysis of 29 peer-reviewed studies on the role of dairy and childhood obesity.
“Taken as a whole, the limited literature in this field is not consistent with dietary guidelines recommending children consume preferably reduced-fat dairy products,” said lead author Therese O’Sullivan, a clinical dietitian at Edith Cowan University in Australia.
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If the child is growing well, existing guidelines suggest parents switch to low-fat dairy products starting at age two to protect children from the risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease.
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The new study, published [March 2] in the journal Advances in Nutrition, found whole-fat dairy products were not linked to weight gain, obesity or any measures of cardiovascular disease risk.
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But that doesn’t mean that recommendations will be immediately changed or that parents should start giving their child full-fat dairy. Why not? Because of the quality of the research that’s been done on the topic
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Many of the studies are “observational” studies, which is a type of research that can only find an association between two outcomes; it cannot establish cause and effect.
