- Youngsters who drank whole milk had a lower BMI than those who drank semi skimmed milk
- Experts say it’s because they feel fuller than those on lower-fat alternatives
- They were therefore less likely to snack on any foods that are less healthy
- And those who drank 1 cup of whole milk daily had higher vitamin D levels
Colin Fernandez Science Correspondent For The Daily Mail
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Children who drink full fat milk are slimmer than those who drank semi-skimmed milk.
Researchers think that the blue cap milk left kids feeling more full so were less likely to snack on unhealthy foods.
The researchers also found that the children had higher levels of Vitamin D – the ‘sunshine vitamin.’
Because vitamin D is soluble in fat rather than water, the higher fat content in full milk means it carries more of the vitamin.
Children who drink whole full fat milk are slimmer than those who drank semi-skimmed milk, scientists claim
Low levels of Vitamin D are linked to a weakened immune system, emotional ups and downs, depression, anxiety and weak bones.
Canadian scientists found that children who drank whole milk with a fat content of 3.25 per cent had a Body Mass Index score that was 0.72 units lower than those who drank one or two per cent fat semi-skimmed milk.
Assistant professor Dr Jonathon Maguire, a paediatrician at St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto said the difference could mean the difference between somebody being classed as being a healthy weight and being overweight.
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The study did not assess why consuming higher fat content milk was associated with lower BMI scores but called into question health guidelines what type of milk children should be drinking.
NHS guidelines recommend that people should drink lower-fat milk and dairy foods.
Yet Prof Maguire suggested children were leaner because they felt fuller than those who drank the same amount of low-fat milk.
Semi-skimmed milk may actually force children to eat more calories than if given ‘unhealthy’ whole milk
They were therefore less likely to snack on other foods that are less healthy or higher in calories.
He suggested semi-skimmed milk may actually force children to eat more calories than if given ‘unhealthy’ whole milk.
Prof Maguire said: ‘Children who drink lower fat milk don’t have less body fat, and they also don’t benefit from the higher vitamin D levels in whole milk.
‘It’s a double negative with low fat milk.’
He questioned also US and Canadian guidelines that children over two should have two glasses of low fat milk of one per cent or two per cent fat to reduce the risk of childhood obesity.
However Prof Maguire noted childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years while consumption of whole milk has halved over the same period.
He said: ‘What kind of milk our children should be consuming is something we need to seek the right answer for.’
The study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition involved 2,745 children ages two to six years.
It surveyed parents, measured height and weight to calculate BMI and took blood samples to assess vitamin D levels.
Researchers think that the blue cap milk left kids feeling more full so were less likely to snack on unhealthy foods
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