A five-year prospective study among French middle-aged adults (28 to 60 years) found that a higher consumption of milk, yogurt and cottage cheese assessed at baseline was associated with beneficial changes in the metabolic profile in men — specifically, lower blood glucose and higher HDL-cholesterol. A higher calcium consumption in men was associated with a lower five-year increase in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. In addition, a higher intake of milk, yogurt and cottage cheese was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure over five years only in men with a normal BMI.
In women, higher dairy and calcium intakes were associated with some adverse metabolic measurements at baseline. There were no associations between dairy and the metabolic profile over time in women, who had a higher proportion of calories from dairy than men. The authors speculate that women, who often make changes toward a healthier diet earlier than men, may have increased their dairy and calcium intake in response to a high BMI or other components of metabolic syndrome.
These results reflect previous findings showing that associations between calcium and/or dairy intakes and metabolic components could differ by gender. More research is needed to understand how gender-related differences in diet and lifestyle might affect metabolic health.
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