Yogurt Consumption Is Associated with Improved Nutrient Intakes, Diet Quality, Body Weight and Cardiometabolic Biomarkers in the US: Results from NHANES 2011–14 and the Food Patterns Equivalent Database
Authors: Garcia‐Bailo Bibiana , Jain Neha , Smith Jessica , Benoit Valerie 
Published: November 2023

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines recommend that people consume 2–3 dairy cup equivalents (eq) per day as part of a healthy diet, but many fall short of these recommendations. Yogurt is a nutrient‐dense food that can help individuals increase their dairy intakes. This study examined the prevalence of yogurt consumption in the US population and assessed nutrient intakes, diet quality, body weight and cardiometabolic risk biomarkers among yogurt consumers, using Day 1 24‐hour recalls from NHANES 2011–14 and the USDA Food Patterns Equivalent Database (FPED) 2011–12. Overall, 8% of adults aged 19+ years (n=9954) and 9% of children aged 2–18 years (n=5876) ate yogurt. Yogurt consumers had significantly higher intakes of important nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin D, and ate less sodium than non‐consumers. Energy intakes were similar between consumers and non‐consumers. Results from FPED 2011–12 suggested that yogurt consumers had healthier diets. Consumers ate more total sugar, but had similar intakes of foods defined as added sugars as non‐consumers. Intake of non‐yogurt dairy was similar between consumers and non‐consumers, but overall dairy intakes were approximately 0.6 cup eq/d higher in yogurt consumers, suggesting that they consumed yogurt in addition to, rather than as replacement for, other dairy sources. Yogurt consumers also ate significantly more intact fruit, and adults who ate yogurt consumed more whole grains than those who did not. In models adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, physical activity, energy, smoking, alcohol intake and socioeconomic status, adult yogurt consumers had significant lower body mass index (BMI) and waist circumferences than non‐consumers, and the prevalence of overweight/obesity was also lower among consumers. By contrast, no differences in body measures were noted in children. We compared markers of glucose and lipid metabolism and blood pressure between yogurt consumers and non‐consumers, among healthy adults who answered “No” to being given a diagnosis of diabetes, congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, angina, heart attack or stroke. In both crude and adjusted models (same covariates as in weight analyses), yogurt consumers had significantly lower fasting insulin and homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR) than non‐consumers, suggesting greater insulin sensitivity. High‐density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was higher in yogurt consumers than non‐consumers, and the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol was lower in yogurt consumers, suggesting a healthier lipid profile. Taken together, these findings suggest that yogurt consumers have healthier diets and yogurt contributes to favorable nutrient intakes in adults and children. In addition, yogurt may be associated with healthier body weights in adults, and adult yogurt consumers may have better cardiometabolic profiles than non‐consumers. Despite these encouraging findings, yogurt consumption remains low in the US.

Support or Funding Information

Funded by the Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition, General Mills, Inc.