Department of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Nutr Res Rev. 2022 Jun;35(1):50-69. doi: 10.1017/S095442242100007X. Epub 2021 Apr 27.
Cow's milk is a naturally nutrient-dense foodstuff. A significant source of many essential nutrients, its inclusion as a component of a healthy balanced diet has been long recommended. Beyond milk's nutritional value, an increasing body of evidence illustrates cow's milk may confer numerous benefits related to health. Evidence from adult populations suggests that cow's milk may have a role in overall dietary quality, appetite control, hydration and cognitive function. Although evidence is limited compared with the adult literature, these benefits may be echoed in recent paediatric studies. This article, therefore, reviews the scientific literature to provide an evidence-based evaluation of the associated health benefits of cow's milk consumption in primary-school-aged children (4-11 years). We focus on seven key areas related to nutrition and health comprising nutritional status, hydration, dental and bone health, physical stature, cognitive function, and appetite control. The evidence consistently demonstrates cow's milk (plain and flavoured) improves nutritional status in primary-school-aged children. With some confidence, cow's milk also appears beneficial for hydration, dental and bone health and beneficial to neutral concerning physical stature and appetite. Due to conflicting studies, reaching a conclusion has proven difficult concerning cow's milk and cognitive function; therefore, a level of caution should be exercised when interpreting these results. All areas, however, would benefit from further robust investigation, especially in free-living school settings, to verify conclusions. Nonetheless, when the nutritional-, physical- and health-related impact of cow's milk avoidance is considered, the evidence highlights the importance of increasing cow's milk consumption.
牛奶是一种天然营养丰富的食物。它是许多必需营养素的重要来源，长期以来一直被推荐作为健康均衡饮食的组成部分。除了牛奶的营养价值外，越来越多的证据表明牛奶可能对健康有许多益处。来自成人的证据表明，牛奶可能在整体饮食质量、食欲控制、水合作用和认知功能方面发挥作用。尽管与成人文献相比，证据有限，但这些益处可能在最近的儿科研究中得到呼应。因此，本文综述了科学文献，对小学生（4-11 岁）饮用牛奶与健康相关的益处进行了基于证据的评估。我们关注与营养和健康相关的七个关键领域，包括营养状况、水合作用、牙齿和骨骼健康、身高、认知功能和食欲控制。证据一致表明，牛奶（原味和调味）可改善小学生的营养状况。有一定把握的是，牛奶对水合作用、牙齿和骨骼健康也有益，对身高的影响则为中性。由于研究结果相互矛盾，因此在解释这些结果时应谨慎。然而，所有领域都需要进一步的深入研究，特别是在自由生活的学校环境中，以验证结论。尽管如此，当考虑到避免饮用牛奶对营养、身体和健康的影响时，证据强调了增加牛奶消费的重要性。
