The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that toddlers transition from whole milk to fat-free or low-fat milk by the time they reach two years of age to reduce saturated fat intake and obesity risk. However the science is mixed as to whether consuming lower-fat milk truly supports improved health outcomes and reduced obesity risk. A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior examined how milk fat consumption during early childhood relates to weight change and nutrient intake among toddlers participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC. Using longitudinal data collected from 2013 to 2020 from over 2,373 toddlers participating in the WIC Infant and and Toddler Feeding Practices Study-2, researchers found an association between adherence to current milk fat consumption recommendations between two to three years of age and and lower saturated fat and energy intake, but no association with toddler weight outcomes or added sugars intake. Researchers recommend additional research is needed to determine whether current milk fat recommendations for toddlers is causally linked to improved health outcomes. The study was authored by Rachel C. Grau from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, Hannah R. Thompson and Lorrene D. Ritchie from the Nutrition Policy Institute, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Anisha Patel from the Division of General Pediatrics at Stanford University.
