Predictors of Children\u27s Body Mass Index: A Longitudinal Study of Diet and Growth in Children Aged 2-8y

OBJECTIVE: To identify longitudinal variables related to children\u27s body mass index (BMI) (kg/m(2)) at age 8 y. DESIGN: A longitudinal design, with nine interviews per child from ages 2 to 8 y. SUBJECTS: In all, 70 white children ( 37 males, 33 females) who were continuous participants since infancy in the longitudinal study. Families were primarily middle and upper socioeconomic status. MEASUREMENTS: At each interview, children\u27s height and weight were measured, and mothers provided 3 days of the child\u27s intake data ( a 24-h recall and 2 days of food records). ANALYSES: Analyses used were means +/- s.d., correlations, repeated measures analysis of variance, and forward stepwise regression. BMI at each interview was calculated and age of adiposity rebound was determined. RESULTS: Children\u27s BMI at 8 y was negatively predicted by age of adiposity rebound and positively predicted by their BMI at 2 y. Additionally, each model included one longitudinal dietary variable; mean protein and fat intakes recorded between 2 and 8 y were positive predictors of BMI at 8 y; mean carbohydrate intake over the same time period was negatively related to BMI at 8y. R-2 values indicated that these three-variable models predicted 41 - 43% of the variability in BMI among children. BMI of 23% of the children exceeded the 85th CDC percentile. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that factors in early life are associated with children\u27s BMI at age 8 y

Investigation of the effect of high dairy diet on body mass index and body fat in overweight and obese children

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether an increase in dairy food consumption improves the changes in BMI and adiposity in children on an energy restricted diet. METHODS Overweight and obese children (n = 120, age: 12-18 y, BMI: 27-40 kg/m2) were randomized to receive a calorie restricted diet providing a 500 kcal/d deficit from total energy expenditure and two (n = 40), three (n = 40) or four (n = 40) servings of dairy products/day. Anthropometric measurements in addition to serum hs-CRP and lipid profile were measured at baseline and after 12 weeks. RESULTS Among the 96 children who completed the study, significant reductions in overall BMI, BMI z-score, weight, total body fat percentage and total body fat mass were observed (p 0.05). Overall waist/hip ratio, Serum vitamin D and lipid profile did not change significantly (p > 0.05) apart from a significant increase in HDL-cholesterol (p 0.05). CONCLUSION Increased intake of dairy products does not lead to an augmented change in BMI, weight and body fat in overweight and obese children beyond what is achieved by calorie restriction