Cheese Intake is Inversely Associated with LDL Cholesterol in Young Children

Publication: Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
3 May 2022

Abstract

Purpose: To determine if intake (servings/day) of total dairy and/or dairy subtypes (milk, cheese, and yogurt) were associated with biomarkers related to dyslipidemia, insulin sensitivity and inflammation in a sample of cardio-metabolically healthy young children from the Guelph Family Health Study at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Methods: Baseline data from 42 children (aged 2.0–6.2 years) from 33 families who provided a dietary assessment and a fasted blood sample were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Linear and logistic regressions using generalized estimating equations were used for analysis and models were adjusted for age, gender, and household income.
Results: In total, 42 children (3.74 ± 1.23 years old; mean (± SD)) consumed median (25th percentile, 75th percentile) servings/day of 1.70 (1.16, 2.81) for total dairy, 0.74 (0.50, 1.70) for milk, 0.63 (0.00, 1.16) for cheese, and 0.00 (0.00, 0.38) for yogurt. Cheese intake was significantly inversely associated with LDL cholesterol (−0.16 (95% CI: −0.29, −0.03) mmol/L per serving; P = 0.02)). No other associations between dairy intake and biomarkers were significant.
Conclusions: Cheese intake was inversely associated with LDL cholesterol in this preliminary study of cardio-metabolically healthy young children, thereby warranting further research on dairy intake and cardiometabolic risk factors.

Résumé

Objectif. Déterminer si la consommation (portions/jour) de produits laitiers totaux et/ou de sous-types de produits laitiers (lait, fromage et yogourt) est associée à des biomarqueurs liés à la dyslipidémie, à la sensibilité à l’insuline et à l’inflammation dans un échantillon de jeunes enfants ayant une bonne santé cardiométabolique de la Guelph Family Health Study de l’Université de Guelph à Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Méthodes. Les données de référence de 42 enfants (2,0 à 6,2 ans) de 33 familles ayant fourni une évaluation de l’alimentation et un échantillon de sang à jeun ont été incluses dans cette analyse transversale. Des régressions linéaires et logistiques utilisant des équations d’estimation généralisées ont été utilisées aux fins d’analyse, et les modèles ont été ajustés pour l’âge, le sexe et le revenu du ménage.
Résultats. Au total, 42 enfants (3,74 ± 1,23 ans; moyenne ± écart-type) avaient une consommation médiane (25e percentile, 75e percentile) en portions/jour de 1,70 (1,16, 2,81) pour les produits laitiers totaux, de 0,74 (0,50, 1,70) pour le lait, de 0,63 (0,00, 1,16) pour le fromage et de 0,00 (0,00, 0,38) pour le yogourt. La consommation de fromage était significativement inversement associée au cholestérol LDL (-0,16 [IC à 95 % : -0,29, -0,03] mmol/l par portion; P = 0,02). Aucune autre association entre la consommation de produits laitiers et les biomarqueurs n’était significative.
Conclusions. La consommation de fromage était inversement associée au cholestérol LDL dans cette étude préliminaire menée auprès de jeunes enfants ayant une bonne santé cardiométabolique, ce qui justifie la tenue d’autres recherches sur la consommation de produits laitiers et les facteurs de risque cardiométaboliques.

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Financial support: This research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, grant number 376067.
Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

cover image Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
Volume 83Number 4December 2022
Pages: 208 - 211
Editor: Naomi Cahill

History

Received: 8 March 2021
Accepted: 16 February 2022
Version of record online: 3 May 2022

Key Words

  1. dairy
  2. milk
  3. cheese
  4. yogurt
  5. cardiometabolic biomarkers
  6. young children
  7. cross-sectional

Mots-clés

  1. produits laitiers
  2. lait
  3. fromage
  4. yogourt
  5. biomarqueurs cardiométaboliques
  6. jeunes enfants
  7. transversale

Authors

Affiliations

Justin Sheremeta MSc
Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
David W.L. MA PhD
Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
Jess Haines PhD, RD
Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
Alison M. Duncan PhD, RD
Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
Gerarda Darlington PhD
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
Genevieve Newton PhD, DC
Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
Andrea C. Buchholz PhD, RD
Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
on Behalf of the Guelph Family Health Study

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