ORIGINAL COMMUNICATION Time trends in the consumption of dairy foods in German children and adolescents

Research Institute of Child Nutrition (FKE), Dortmund, GermanyObjective: Examination of time trends in the consumption of dairy food and their impact on fat and calcium intakes in Germanchildren and adolescents.Design: Dietary records from the DONALD Study (DOrtmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study).Methods: A total of 5068 3-day weighed dietary records from 914 1 to 13-y-old children and adolescents collected between1986 and 2001 were analysed using a mixed linear model, in which the means of the data and the covariance structure specificto the DONALD Study were modelled.Results: During the study period, the consumption of ‘milk products’ in children and adolescents Z4y remained stable, sincethe reduced consumption of ‘fluid milk’ (between 2.8 and 7.4g/day/study year) was compensated for by an increasedconsumption of ‘yoghurt’ (between þ2.4 and þ3.3g/day/study year). The consumption of ‘cheese’ increased in subjects Z4y(between þ0.2 and þ0.7g/day/study year). In 1 to 3-y-old children, the decreased intake of ‘fluid milk’ ( 6.5g/day/studyyear) was not compensated for by the increased intake of ‘formula’ (þ3.5g/day/study year). The percentage of ‘low-fat milkproducts’ significantly increased (although not significant in 9–13-y-old boys) to nearly 25% of milk products. The impact ofdairy food on fat intake (as percentage of energy intake) remained stable with the exception of a slight reduction in 4–8y olds,the impact of dairy on calcium (as percentage of US adequate intake) decreased only in 1–3y olds.Conclusions: The consumption of dairy food remained widely stable over time in Z4-y-old children and adolescents, butdecreased in 1–3y olds. A further decline in this age group would be undesirable as is the shift from common milk to formula.The intake of ‘low-fat milk products’ increased and should be continuously promoted.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, 1331–1337. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601696