Meeting and exceeding dairy recommendations: effects of dairy consumption on nutrient intakes and risk of chronic disease

Abstract

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans indicate the US population is experiencing an epidemic of overweight and obesity while maintaining a nutrient-poor, energy-dense diet associated with an increased risk of osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. To build upon the review of published research in the Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, this article aims to review the scientific literature pertaining to the consumption of dairy foods and the effects of dairy consumption on nutrient intakes and chronic disease risk published between June 2010, when the report was released, and September 2011. PubMed was searched for articles using the following key words: dairy, milk, nutrient intake, bone health, body composition, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and blood pressure. Evidence indicates that increasing dairy consumption to the recommended amount, i.e., three servings daily for individuals ≥9 years of age, helps close gaps between current nutrient intakes and recommendations. Consuming more than three servings of dairy per day leads to better nutrient status and improved bone health and is associated with lower blood pressure and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Figure 1. Percent energy and select nutrient contributions of dairy foods to the US diet from 1.8 average servings consumed per day

Data obtained from day 1 of the 2003–2004 and 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 24-hour dietary recall for individuals 2 years and older, excluding pregnant and lactating females (n = 16,822). Mixed dishes were disaggregated using the USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference food codes and linked to the appropriate food composition databases using the SR-Link file of the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS 2.0 and 3.0, based on SR 18 and SR 20, respectively), allowing for determination of the contribution of dairy foods used in mixed dishes to total nutrient intake.