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Review
. 2012 Oct;96(4):735-47.
doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.037119. Epub 2012 Aug 29.

Effects of dairy intake on body weight and fat: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Mu Chen  1 , An Pan, Vasanti S Malik, Frank B Hu
Affiliations
Review

Effects of dairy intake on body weight and fat: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Mu Chen et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Some intervention studies have suggested that dairy products may influence body weight, but the results remain controversial.

Objective: We identified and quantified the effects of dairy consumption on body weight and fat mass from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Design: We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed and EMBASE databases (to April 2012) of English reports of RCTs regarding dairy consumption on body weight, body fat, or body weight and body fat in adults. The results across studies were pooled by using a random-effects meta-analysis.

Results: Twenty-nine RCTs were included with a total of 2101 participants. Overall, consumption of dairy products did not result in a significant reduction in weight (-0.14 kg; 95% CI: -0.66, 0.38 kg; I² = 86.3%). In subgroup analysis, consumption of dairy products reduced body weight in the context of energy restriction or short-term intervention (<1 y) trials but had the opposite effect in ad libitum dietary interventions or long-term trials (≥1 y). Twenty-two RCTs that reported results on body fat showed a modest reduction in the dairy group (-0.45 kg; 95% CI: -0.79, -0.11 kg; I² = 70.9%), and further stratified analysis indicated significant beneficial effects of dairy intervention on body fat in energy-restricted or short-term trials but not in long-term or ad libitum studies.

Conclusions: This meta-analysis does not support the beneficial effect of increasing dairy consumption on body weight and fat loss in long-term studies or studies without energy restriction. However, dairy products may have modest benefits in facilitating weight loss in short-term or energy-restricted RCTs.

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Figures

FIGURE 1.
FIGURE 1.
Summary of evidence search and selection. Searched databases included PubMed (http://ww.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/pubmed.html) and EMBASE (http://www.embase.com). RCT, randomized controlled trial.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Net change (95% CI) in body weight (A) and fat (B) associated with dairy interventions expressed as the change (kg) during the intervention with dairy products minus the change during control regimen. Horizontal lines denote the 95% CIs; solid diamonds represent the point estimate of each study. The open diamond represents the pooled estimate of the intervention effect. The dashed line denotes the point estimate of the pooled result. ID, identification; WMD, weighted mean difference.
FIGURE 2.
FIGURE 2.
Net change (95% CI) in body weight (A) and fat (B) associated with dairy interventions expressed as the change (kg) during the intervention with dairy products minus the change during control regimen. Horizontal lines denote the 95% CIs; solid diamonds represent the point estimate of each study. The open diamond represents the pooled estimate of the intervention effect. The dashed line denotes the point estimate of the pooled result. ID, identification; WMD, weighted mean difference.
FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 3.
Net change (95% CI) by energy restriction in body weight (A) and fat (B) associated with dairy interventions expressed as the change (kg) during the intervention with dairy products minus the change during the control regimen. Horizontal lines denote the 95% CIs; solid diamonds represent the point estimate of each study. The open diamond represents the pooled estimate of the intervention effect. The dashed line denotes the point estimate of the pooled result. ID, identification; WMD, weighted mean difference.
FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 3.
Net change (95% CI) by energy restriction in body weight (A) and fat (B) associated with dairy interventions expressed as the change (kg) during the intervention with dairy products minus the change during the control regimen. Horizontal lines denote the 95% CIs; solid diamonds represent the point estimate of each study. The open diamond represents the pooled estimate of the intervention effect. The dashed line denotes the point estimate of the pooled result. ID, identification; WMD, weighted mean difference.
FIGURE 4.
FIGURE 4.
Net change (95% CI) by study duration (short-term: <1 y; long-term: ≥1 y) in body weight (A) and fat (B) associated with dairy interventions expressed as the change (kg) during the intervention with dairy products minus the change during control regimens. Horizontal lines denote the 95% CIs; solid diamonds represent the point estimate of each study. The open diamond represents the pooled estimate of the intervention effect. The dashed line denotes the point estimate of the pooled result. ID, identification; WMD, weighted mean difference.
FIGURE 4.
FIGURE 4.
Net change (95% CI) by study duration (short-term: <1 y; long-term: ≥1 y) in body weight (A) and fat (B) associated with dairy interventions expressed as the change (kg) during the intervention with dairy products minus the change during control regimens. Horizontal lines denote the 95% CIs; solid diamonds represent the point estimate of each study. The open diamond represents the pooled estimate of the intervention effect. The dashed line denotes the point estimate of the pooled result. ID, identification; WMD, weighted mean difference.
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