The University of California’s Nutrition Policy Institute is seeking toddlers who drink cow’s milk to participate in a 12-month study.
“The purpose of this UC study is to see how the type of milk toddlers drink affects their health, growth and development,” said Kassandra Bacon, NPI project policy analyst.
Researchers are looking for toddlers between 23 and 30 months of age. They plan to randomly assign 625 toddlers to either drink whole fat or 1% fat milk starting at age 2.
The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that children switch from whole milk to low-fat or nonfat milk after age 2 to reduce their intake of saturated fat and calories, according to NPI.
“We will follow each participant for one year, collecting baseline and follow-up data,” said Ryan Williams, a NPI project policy analyst and registered dietitian who is involved in the research.
Tracking the vital stats
Scientists plan to track body fat, diet, health and developmental outcomes for participants. They will measure each child’s height, weight, waist and head circumferences.
They also plan to ask parents to check their child’s blood lipids, cholesterol, insulin resistance and vitamin D, cognitive development and gut microbiome diversity. They will also ask parents about their child’s diet and provide free nutrition advice from a registered dietician.
Participants can earn up to $275 in gift cards by completing the study. Milk will be provided and delivered to participants free of charge.
Additional participation requirements include having health insurance, having a parent above the age of 18 who speaks English, and living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Children who are WIC participants, lactose intolerant or allergic to milk are not eligible for the study.
Nutrition Policy Institute director and registered dietitian Lorrene Ritchie and Stanford Medicine Children’s Health pediatrician and professor in the Division of General Pediatrics at Stanford University Anisha Patel are the principal investigators for the study.
The Nutrition Policy Institute is part of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.
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