A prospective study of yogurt and other dairy consumption in relation to incidence of type 2 diabetes among black women in the USA.

BACKGROUND Yogurt consumption and low-fat dairy consumption have been associated with reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in some studies. OBJECTIVE We assessed the relation of yogurt and other dairy consumption to incidence of T2D in black women, a population group with a disproportionately high incidence of T2D. METHODS The Black Women's Health Study has followed 59,000 US black women since 1995 through biennial questionnaires which update health information. Each questionnaire inquired about doctor-diagnosed diabetes in the previous 2 y. FFQs completed by participants in 1995 and 2001 provided information on yogurt and other dietary intake. HRs with 95% CIs for yogurt (nonfrozen or frozen) and other dairy consumption in relation to incident T2D (n = 8061 cases) were estimated with Cox proportional hazards regression, controlling for risk factors for T2D. RESULTS The HR for consumption of ≥1 serving of yogurt/d relative to <1 serving/mo was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.87, 1.13, P trend = 0.65) after control for dietary and nondietary risk factors for T2D. The multivariable HR was 0.97 (95% CI: 0.75, 1.27; P trend = 0.74) for 2 or more servings/d of low-fat dairy other than yogurt relative to <1 serving/mo and 1.06 (95% CI: 0.91, 1.25, P trend = 0.36) for 2 or more servings/d of regular dairy relative to <1 serving/mo. CONCLUSION Results from this study do not support an inverse association of yogurt consumption or other dairy consumption with T2D risk in black women.