A new study conducted by General Mills, the maker of Yoplait yogurt, points to a link between healthier body weight and better nutrient intakes among those who consume yogurt.
The food manufacturer has announced results of a 14-day study conducted by the General Mills Bell Institute of Health and Nutrition in Minneapolis. The researchers investigated the diets of approximately 3,000 women aged 19 and older. The research found that those women who consumed three or more servings of yogurt over the two-week period had a 15 percent lower body mass index (BMI) than those who did not eat any yogurt.
The initiative opens another health pathway along which yogurt can be marketed. The product is increasingly being proffered to consumers as delivery of friendly bacteria for gut and immune health, probiotics.
“Obesity continues to be a leading health risk for Americans of all ages,” said the research leader, Ann Albertson, senior nutrition scientist at the Bell Institute. “Our findings build on previous studies and offer good news for yogurt eaters.”
The weight management potential of yogurt likely comes from the fact that while it can be high in calories, it is still a relatively healthy snack food that promotes satiety. The study found that the participants mainly eat yogurt at breakfast. Among the women who ate yogurt, 34 percent did so at breakfast, 38 percent at lunch, 19 percent did so as a snack and nine percent at dinner. The women who ate yogurt regularly were also more like to have higher overall intakes for nutrients including calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B-12, magnesium and phosphorous.