Theresa A Nicklas¹*, Rabab Saab¹ and Victor L Fulgoni III²

¹USDA/ARS/CNRC, Baylor College of Medicine, USA
²Nutrition Impact, LLC, USA

*Corresponding Author: Theresa A Nicklas, USDA/ARS/CNRC, Baylor College of Medicine, USA.

Received: November 23, 2021; Published: December 27, 2021

Abstract

The objective of this study was to re-examine the nutritional contribution of flavored milk in the diets of children with an emphasis on total milk consumption, added sugars, and the shortfall nutrients of public health concern using the most recent national data set available. Intake data from children 2 to 18 years (N = 28,259) participating in the NHANES 2001-2018 were obtained from the 24- hour dietary recall interviews. Mean nutrient intakes, nutrient adequacy, least square means and standard errors of energy and intakes of each nutrient were determined. Z-scores were used to assess population differences in nutrient adequacy. A conservative p-value of (p ≤ 0.001) was used. Compared with non-consumers, consumers of flavored milk had higher intakes of total energy, total sugars, and total added sugars. Consumers of flavored milk consumed more total milk (approximately 1-cup equivalent more) than non-consumers. Flavored milk consumers 2-to-18 years, had significantly (p < 0.0001) higher intakes of fiber, vitamins D, A and B-12, riboflavin, calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus than non-consumers. Compared to non-consumers, consumers of flavored milk had a lower percentage not meeting dietary recommendations for vitamins A, D, and B-12, riboflavin, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. The percentage of flavored milk consumers with intakes above the AI was lower for fiber intake but higher for potassium intake compared to non-consumers. Based on data from this study, flavored milk is not a bad beverage of choice. The nutritional benefits of flavored milk far outweighs the added sugars content. 

Keywords: Flavored Milk; Added Sugars Intake; Nutrient Intake; Nutrient Adequacy; Child Nutrition; NHANES

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Citation

Citation: Theresa A Nicklas., et al. “Is Flavored Milk Really a Bad Beverage Choice? The Nutritional Benefits of Flavored Milk Outweigh the Added Sugars Content". Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 6.1 (2022): 114-132.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Theresa A Nicklas., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.