Dairy intake in relation to metabolic health status in overweight and obese adolescents

There was a lack of evidence on the association between dairy intake and metabolic health status in overweight/obese adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate the association between dairy intake and metabolic health status in overweight/obese Iranian adolescents. Overweight/obese adolescents (n= 203; 101 boys and 102 girls) (aged 12-18 years) selected by a multistage cluster random sampling method have participated in this cross-sectional study. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated 147-item food frequency questionnaire. Anthropometric indices, blood pressure, fasting glucose, insulin, and lipid profiles were measured. Participants were categorized to metabolically healthy obese (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) according to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria and a combination of IDF with Homeostasis Model Assessment Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) criteria. The frequency of MUO based on IDF, and IDF/HOMA-IR definitions was 38.9% and 33.0%, respectively. In fully-adjusted model, participants in the highest tertile of dairy intake had 61% lower odds of MUO based on IDF criteria (OR: 0.39, 95%CI: 0.15-0.99). Higher dairy intake was associated with a non-significant lower risk of MUO according to IDF/HOMA-IR definition in the maximally-adjusted model (OR: 0.44, 95%CI: 0.17-1.16). Stratifies analysis by sex and body mass index revealed that the association was stronger in girls and overweight subjects. However, in boys and obese adolescents, the association was insignificant. This community-based cross-sectional study revealed that higher intake of dairy was associated with a significant lower odd of MUO among Iranian adolescents, especially in girls and overweight subjects. Further large-scale prospective studies are necessary to confirm these results.