The role of Yogurt in improving the quality of the American diet and meeting dietary guidelines

Abstract

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommend three daily servings of low- or nonfat dairy products, yet two-thirds of individuals in the United States do not meet that goal. Including low- or nonfat yogurt as part of an overall healthful diet can be a positive step toward meeting the DGA recommendations. Yogurt naturally contains calcium and potassium, and some products are fortified with vitamin D. All of these nutrients were identified in the DGA as "nutrients of concern," because typical intake falls far short of recommended intakes. Yogurt can also be an excellent source of high-quality protein, which promotes satiety, helps in maintaining a healthy body weight, and aids muscle and bone growth. In addition, yogurt is low in sodium and contributes 1.0% or less of added sugars to the diets of most individuals in the United States; however, 90% of children and adults consume less than 8 ounces (1 cup) of yogurt per week. Thus, consuming 1 serving of yogurt per day would help to meet the DGA-recommended dairy servings and would provide nutrients of concern.

Association between yogurt consumption, dietary patterns, and cardio-metabolic risk factors

“…It has been reported in the literature that low-fat and fatfree yogurts play a key role in attaining the recommendations for the dairy food group and help to achieve a more nutrient-dense diet, thus directly impacting on anthropometric indicators and nutritional status [27]. However, in the present study, overweight/obese individuals consumed more fat-free yogurts than normal-weight individuals, who consumed more high-fat yogurts.…”

Yogurt consumption is associated with a better lifestyle in Brazilian population

“…Nevertheless, it is important to indicate that group LOW-Y/ HIGH-D consisted of individuals with a minimal consumption of 338 g/day of other dairy products and a maximal intake of 5 g/day of yogurt, whereas in group HIGH-Y/LOW-D, we have a minimal consumption of 160 g/day of yogurt and a maximal intake of 85 g/day of other dairy products, that is, a difference in consumption that could explain the results found. In any event, considering the high prevalence of inadequate consumption of nutrients, especially of calcium and vitamin D found in the Brazilian population [10-12, 38, 39], it is important to indicate the role of yogurt as well as other dairy products in providing a greater supply of these nutrients, which could contribute to meet the dietary requirements for Brazilians [15,40].…”

“…By means of quantitative scores, the AUDIT identifies the low risk use (scores, 0-7), harmful risk use (scores, [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15], hazardous use (scores, [16][17][18][19], and symptoms of alcohol dependence (scores, ≥ 20). The individuals who reported that they did not consume alcoholic beverages did not answer the AUDIT questionnaire.…”

“…Yogurt, a fermented milk, has a unique nutritional composition compared to milk; it has a lower lactose content (20% to 30% less than milk, making it a good option for individuals with lactose intolerance) and greater vitamin and mineral content, such as riboflavin, vitamin B 12 , calcium, magnesium, potassium, and others, resulting from specific production and fermentation procedures [13][14][15][16][17]. Furthermore, current evidence has shown that yogurt consumption has been associated with a healthier metabolic profile and diet and with reduced risks of weight gain and development of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases [14,[18][19][20][21].…”

Yogurt Consumption: Influence of Body Mass Index and Dietary Restraint? Cross-Sectional Analysis of the INFOGENE Study

“…Still, yogurt is considered a low-fat and healthy product. However, a growing body of evidence has linked high-fat dairy food intakes with a lower prevalence of obesity [3][4][5][6]. Indeed, overall yogurt consumption may be associated with lower values of adiposity in addition to decreased fasting plasma triglyceride and insulin levels in healthy individuals [3,4,7,8].…”