Children who eat yoghurt daily have 'better overall diet', research shows

The news follows a campaign urging British dairy farmers to "shout" about their product
The news follows a campaign urging British dairy farmers to "shout" about their product

Children who eat more than 60g of yoghurt daily have a better overall diet compared to those who eat none, a new study has shown.

The research, carried out by University of Reading and published in the European Journal of Nutrition, shows that among the 1,687 children aged between four and 18 who provided dietary diaries, the highest consumers of yoghurt scored more highly on a Healthy Eating Index.

In particular, the children who on average ate around 100g a day of yoghurt – equivalent to around one small yoghurt pot per day – had significantly higher intake of vitamins A and C, and minerals including iodine from their whole diet. They also ate less processed foods including white bread, cakes and pastries.

Dr Ditte Hobbs, lead author of the paper, said the findings show a pattern between yoghurt consumption and an overall healthy diet which includes fruit, vegetables and fibre.

“Among the findings, we noted that among younger children aged 10 and under, those eating around 100g of yoghurt a day were consuming significantly less fat and salt than those who ate none,” Dr Hobbs explained.

'Not getting enough calcium'

The researchers also found that yoghurt consumption was low among secondary school-aged children, with fewer than one in three (31%) of 11-18 year olds in the study eating any yoghurt at all.

“The nutritional information reported by the more than two-thirds of secondary school-age children who ate no yoghurt doesn’t make for happy reading,” Dr Hobbs said.

“Almost one in five was getting too little iodine from their diet overall, and one in six was not getting enough calcium.”

While the new study only looked at sources of nutrients, and did not measure specific iodine or calcium deficiencies in individuals, researchers have expressed concern that the results may indicate that high numbers of children may not be getting enough of these minerals, which are important for good health.

Iodine deficiency

Professor Ian Givens, who co-authored the research, said there is a "link between iodine deficiency and lower IQ in children".

“Research has repeatedly shown that dairy consumption among young people has been declining for many years, with a particular impact on amounts of iodine being consumed,” Prof Givens said.

“Other studies have shown that there may be a relationship between iodine deficiency in pregnant women and lower IQ in their children.

“There is also a relationship between lower consumption of dairy among teenage girls and the risk of suboptimal bone development, which may increase the risk of problems such as osteoporosis in later life.”

Children who said they ate yoghurt had lower blood pressure and lower levels of glycated haemoglobin in their blood, which is used as a marker for diabetes.

The news follows a British dairy industry campaign push, urging dairy farmers to shout about their produce and market it as being the best quality in the world.

David Handley, at Farmers For Action, encouraged farmers to shout about being in the dairy industry.

“Farmers need to tackle communication with consumers – especially the children of today and tomorrow. We need to get out there and promote our product - the next generation have the opportunity to drive change.”