The effect of consumption of dairy products in the diet, on appetite and BMI in humans

As the incidence of obesity reaches 'epidemic' proportions, there is currently widespread interest in the impact of dietary components on body weight and food intake. Available evidence from epidemiological and intervention studies suggest a negative but modest relationship between milk product consumption and measures of adiposity. The purported physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of dairy constituents on adiposity are incompletely understood but may include effects on lipolysis, lipogenesis and fat absorption. The relationships between type of dairy products and adiposity were analysed using data derived from the Caerphilly Cohort. Results indicated that most of the positive effect is due to milk, with the body mass index of high milk consumers (>568ml/d) being less than non-milk consumers. There 'is a paucity of evidence regarding the effect of increased milk consumption or the effect of different types of milk products on appetite and overall energy intake. A cross-over study in forty overweight men was conducted, which examined the effect of consumption of individual milk products as snacks on appetite (Visual analogue scale scores) and subsequent ad libitum meal energy intake. Results showed that among the milk products, yoghurt had the greatest impact on suppression of appetite. Hunger ratings were 8%, 10% and 24% (P