CONSUMPTION OF NON-COW’S MILK BEVERAGES AND HEIGHT IN CHILDHOOD

ABSTRACT Background: Non-cow’s milk beverages among children are increasingly being consumed due to perceived health benefits. However, non-cow’s milk contains less protein and fat than cow’s milk and may not have the same effect on height. I hypothesized that consumption of non-cow’s milk beverages would be associated with lower childhood height. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of TARGet Kids! data on healthy children 2-5 years of age was conducted. Multivariate linear regression models were used to test the association between daily volume of non-cow’s milk beverage consumption and height-for-age z-scores. Results: Higher non-cow’s milk consumption was associated with lower childhood height. Each daily cup of non-cow’s milk was associated with a lower height-for-age z-score of 0.11 (95% CI: 0.16, 0.05, PM.Sc.2019-11-07 00:00:0