Milk-alternatives appear to reduce the height of children

In August 2017 researchers from Canada published the results of their study to assess the association between the consumption of non-cow’s milk and height in childhood.  A total of 5,034 healthy Canadian children, aged between 24-72 months, were included in the study and the amount of non-cow’s milk consumed was assessed. Results showed that the greater the volume of non-cow’s milk consumed, the lower the height of the child. For each daily cup of non-cow’s milk consumed, the child was 0.4 cm shorter. A further analysis revealed that the height difference for a 3-year-old child consuming 3 cups of non-cow’s milk per day as opposed to 3 cups of cow’s milk per day was 1.5 cm.

Morency ME et al. Association between noncow milk beverage consumption and childhood height. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Aug;106(2):597-602

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