Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42070887›Full record

ArticleThe American journal of clinical nutrition2026

Milk fat intake, adiposity, and obesity in Canadian children: findings from the prospective Canadian CHILD Cohort Study.

Tara Zeitoun, Zheng Hao Chen, David Burgner, Gabbi MacKechnie, Prue Huntington, Toby Mansell, Danielle Longmore, Piushkumar J Mandhane, Elinor Simons, Stuart E Turvey and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Tara ZeitounDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Zheng Hao ChenDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
David BurgnerMurdoch Children's Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, Melbourne University, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Faculty of Health Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
Gabbi MacKechnieMurdoch Children's Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Prue HuntingtonMurdoch Children's Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Toby MansellMurdoch Children's Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, Melbourne University, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
Danielle LongmoreMurdoch Children's Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, VIC, Australia; Faculty of Health Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
Piushkumar J MandhaneDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada; Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Elinor SimonsDepartment of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
Stuart E TurveyDepartment of Pediatrics, BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Padmaja SubbaraoDepartment of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Theo J MoraesDepartment of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Daniel W SellenDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Division of Social and Behavioural Health Sciences, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Kozeta MilikuDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Electronic address: kozeta.miliku@utoronto.ca.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGuidelines in Canada, the United States, and other countries recommend that children switch from whole (3.25%) to reduced-fat milk after age 2 years to limit saturated fat intake and prevent obesity, despite these recommendations being derived primarily from adult studies. Emerging pediatric evidence challenges this approach, but prospective data in early school-aged children are scarce.

objectivesTo test for cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of cow milk-fat content at age 5 years and adiposity indicators and obesity status among 5- and 8-year-old Canadian children.

methodsWe analyzed data from the CHILD Cohort Study, a national longitudinal prospective pregnancy cohort study. At age 5 years, caregivers reported the fat content of cow milk consumed (skim [0%], 1%, 2%, and whole [3.25%]). Anthropometric measures at ages 5 years (N = 2043) and 8 years (N = 1574) included body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio z-scores; and at age 8 years, fat mass percentage (measured by bioelectric impedance analysis) and obesity (defined using World Health Organization criteria and the new clinical obesity Lancet Commission definitions). Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were adjusted for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and other dietary factors.

resultsAt age 5 years, most children consumed 2% (48.9%) or 3.25% (23.9%) fat from cow milk. Compared with skimmed cow milk, whole (3.25%) cow milk consumption was associated with lower BMI z-score at age 5 years [β: -0.34; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.54, -0.13] and lower odds of living with obesity [odds ratio (OR): 0.22; 95% CI: 0.07, 0.67]. Whole cow milk consumption at 5 years was also inversely associated with BMI z-score (β: -0.42; 95% CI: -0.72, -0.11), waist-to-height ratio z-score (β: -0.35; 95% CI: -0.63, -0.07), fat mass (β: -1.58; 95% CI: -3.10, -0.06), obesity (OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.12, 0.80), and preclinical obesity (OR: 0.25; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.70) at age 8 years.

conclusionsWhole cow milk consumption at age 5 years was associated with lower adiposity and obesity indicators in middle childhood. These findings challenge current recommendations to limit milk fat in children and may inform future dietary guidelines.

Indexed as

AdiposityDietary FatsMilkObesityPediatric ObesityAnimalsBody Mass IndexCanadaChildChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesDietFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesDietary Fatsbody compositionearly childhood nutritionmilk fat intakepediatricspreclinical obesityprospective cohort studywhole milk consumption

Identifiers

PMID42070887
PMCPMC13197898

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.