Kids fed full fat milk have lower BMI

The findings of the study suggest that children consuming full fat milk are less likely to become overweight as compared to their counterparts.

Study of 120 healthy kids
To reach this conclusion, researchers from the Gothenburg University in Sweden examined 120 healthy eight-year-old children.

Factors like dietary habits, nutrition, body composition and bone mineralization, measurement of minerals in bones, were considered. The blood samples of children were also taken.

"Many of these children had been examined when they were four-years-old, and we discovered that their eating habits were pretty much unchanged four years later,” said dietician and author of the study, Susanne Eriksson. "It appears to be the case that eating habits are established early."

Children who drank full fat milk weighed less
After analysing the said factors, the researchers found that those children who consumed full fat milk weighed nine pounds less than their low fat milk counterparts.

Researchers said that children who consume less fat milk are fatter because they drink frizzy drinks.

"This is an interesting observation, but we don't know why it is so. It may be the case that children who drink full-fat milk tend also to eat other things that affect their weight.

"Another possible explanation is that children who do not drink full fat milk drink more soft drinks instead," Eriksson said.

A difference between overweight children who drink full fat milk everyday and those who do not was also noted by the researchers.

Those who often consumed milk with a fat content of three percent were found to be "less overweight". However, researchers noted that those children consumed more saturated fat than recommended.

It was also noted that nearly 62 percent or two-thirds of the children had low levels of Vitamin D.

Deficiency of Vitamin D could result in high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, seasonal affective disorder.