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THE BENEFITS OF YOGURT

STATE OF THE AMERICAN DIETThe average American diet is more unbalanced than ever, the result of an eating pattern that is low in vegetables, fruits, and dairy and high in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.1,2 Unhealthy diets have become a significant public health issue, leading to overweight individuals, obesity, and other diet-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.3

The major contributors to an unbalanced diet are sugars, satu-rated fat, and sodium.2,3 The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Amer-icans (DGA) recommend that calories from added sugar and saturated fats not exceed 10% of the total calories in the diet3 and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that sodium intake be limited to 1,500 mg a day.4 Unfortunately, the American diet greatly exceeds all of these recommendations.1,2 The sat-urated fat and added sugar recommendations from the DGA should be incorporated as part of a healthy eating pattern and should not be applied to individual foods.

Excessive intake of unhealthy foods and inadequate intake of nutrient-dense foods results in lower-than-recommended levels of some nutrients in the American diet, namely calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and fiber.3

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DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONSThe 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recom-mend increasing intake of nutrient-dense foods, such as non fat or low fat dairy products, like yogurt. A recent study com-pared popular snack foods by their overall nutrient profiles. The study utilized a nutrient-density measurement tool known as the Nutrient Rich Foods (NRF) Index 10.3. Yogurt was found to have the highest nutrient-density score, but was the least consumed among the snack foods evaluated.5 Currently, Americans consume only about half of the rec-ommended three servings per day of dairy products. Strat-egies for increasing intake of non fat and low fat dairy include choosing yogurt as a snack or using yogurt as an ingredient in prepared dishes, such as salad dressings or spreads.2

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Eating one yogurt every day is

an important first step

toward achieving a balanced

diet and a healthy lifestyle.

WHYONE YOGURTEVERY DAY?

Lowfat and nonfat yogurts are convenient, nutrient-dense foods that contribute to the recommended 3 daily servings of dairy.

Most yogurts contain nutrients lacking in the American diet, including calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. Consum-ing one 8-oz. serving of nonfat or lowfat yogurt every day provides, in many cases, 30% of the daily value for calcium, helping to close the calcium deficiency gap.

Lowfat yogurt is not high in saturated fat, is lower in sodium than most cheeses, and provides approximately 6–14% of the daily value of potassium per 8–oz. serving. Lowfat and non-fat yogurts are good choices to help achieve your daily dairy requirements. Additionally, choosing a vitamin D-fortified yo-gurt can make a significant contribution to vitamin D intake. Yogurt can also be an excellent source of high-quality protein, which helps with satiety and, together with calcium and vita-min D, helps promote muscle and bone strength.6

In a large prospective study,7 consumption of yogurt was associated with a more balanced diet. According to this study, yogurt consumers are not only likely to have higher potassium intakes, but are less likely to have inadequate in-takes of vitamins B2 and B12, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.

YOGURT ASSOCIATION WITH A HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE

Another epidemiological study 8 showed that yogurt con-sumption is also associated with a healthy lifestyle. Frequent yogurt consumption as part of a healthy dietary pattern was associated with less weight gain over time. This study com-pared consumption of different foods, including yogurt, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains among more than 120,000 U.S. women and men and showed that consumption of these foods was associated with less weight gain over time, with yogurt showing the best results. Other forms of dairy, includ-ing low fat or non fat milk, had no measurable association with less weight gain. Additionally, yogurt consumption was also associated with healthy levels of systolic blood pressure and circulating glucose within the normal range.7

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YOGURT AND IMPROVED NUTRIENT DENSITY

CULTURES AND FERMENTATIONCultures and fermentation can increase the nutrient content (e.g., B-vitamins)11 and digestibility of foods. Cultures are used to make unique fermented products that can be associated with various health benefits. Cultures and fermentation in food are important to extend shelf life and develop a unique taste and texture.

YOGURT AND HEALTHY NUTRITION IN CHILDRENIncluding nutrient-dense yogurt in a child’s diet may help improve diet quality and prevent excess weight gain. A re-cent analysis of national health and nutrition data found that introducing one 6-oz. serving of lower sugar, vitamin D-for-tified yogurt each day to children’s snack times would help children increase dietary intake of calcium, vitamin D, and potassium without adding empty calories.9 Combining yo-gurt with fruit or vegetables as a snack (for example, in a dip) can also increase dietary intake of fiber, another nutrient of concern in children.9

Another study recently found that higher yogurt consump-tion was associated with lower measures of adiposity in U.S. children (ages 8–18), such as lower BMI-for-age, lower waist circumference, and smaller subscapular skinfold.10

YOGURT AND LACTOSE INTOLERANCEFor those who are lactose intolerant, milk avoidance is a major obstacle for obtaining adequate calcium, vitamin D, and other vitamins.12 Yogurt is, for many consumers, a more easily digestible alternative to milk because, on average, it contains less lactose than milk. In addition, the yogurt’s live and active cultures continue to have activity in the intestinal tract and may allow lactose intolerant individuals to enjoy dairy products with fewer associated symptoms.13

References:1. Krebs-Smith SM, Guenther PM, Subar AF, Kirkpatrick SI, Dodd KW. Americans do not meet federal dietary recommendations. J Nutr. 2010;140:1832–38. 2. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015. 8th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2015. 3. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. 2015. Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015, to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Washington, DC. 4. Lloyd-Jones DM, Hong Y, Labarthe D, Mozaffarian D, Appel LJ, Van Horn L, Greenlund K, Daniels S, Nichol G, Tomaselli GF, et al. American Heart Association Strategic Planning Task Force and Statistics Committee. Defining and setting national goals for cardiovascular health promotion and disease reduction: the American Heart Association’s strategic impact goal through 2020 and beyond. Circulation. 2010;121:586–613. 5. Hess J, Rao G, Slavin J. The Nutrient-Density of Snacks: A Comparison of Nutrient Profiles of Popular Snack Foods Using the Nutrient Rich Foods Index. Poster presented at: Experimental Biology. April 2016; San Diego, CA. 6. Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Lemmens SG, Westerterp KR. Dietary protein–its role in satiety, energetics, weight loss and health. Br J Nutr. 2012;108 Suppl 2:S105–S112. 7. Wang H, Livingston K, Fox CS, Meigs JB, Jacques PF. Yogurt consumption is associated with better diet quality and metabolic profile in American men and women. Nutr Res. 2013;33:18–26. 8. Mozaffarian D, Hao T, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Hu FB. Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. N Engl J Med. 2011;364:2392–2404. 9. Hess J, Slavin J. Snacking for a Cause: Nutritional Insufficiencies and Excesses of U.S. Children, a Critical Review of Food Consumption Patterns and Macronutrient and Micronutrient Intake of U.S. Children. Nutrients. 2014;6(11):4750-4759. 10. Keast DR, Hill Gallant KM, Albertson AM, Gugger CK, Holschuh NM. Associations between Yogurt, Dairy, Calcium, and Vitamin D Intake and Obesity among U.S. Children Aged 8–18 Years: NHANES, 2005–2008. Nutrients. 2015;7(3):1577-1593. 11. Patel A, Nihir S, Prajapati JB. Biosynthesis of vitamins and enzymes in fermented foods by lactic acid bacteria and related genera - A promising approach. Croat J Food Sci Technol. 2013;5(2):85-91. 12. Savaiano DA, Boushey CJ, McCabe GP. Lactose intolerance symptoms assessed by meta-analysis: a grain of truth that leads to exaggeration. J Nutr. 2006;136:1107–13. 13. Lomer MC, Parkes GC, Sanderson JD. Review article: lactose intolerance in clinical practice—myths and realities. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2008;27:93–103.

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