Objective: To compare the nutritional composition of bovine milk and several plant-based drinks with a focus on protein and essential amino acid content and to determine the ratio of essential amino acids to greenhouse gas emission.Design: Nutritional information on the label was extracted for semi-skimmed milk, soy, oat, almond, coconut and rice drink from the Innova database between January 2017 and March 2020 for the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy and Sweden. Protein and amino acids were measured and carbon footprint was calculated for a selection of Dutch products. Protein quality was determined by calculating the contribution to the WHO essential amino acids requirements.Setting: The bovine milk and plant-based drinks market in Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy and Sweden.Participants: Semi-skimmed bovine milk and soy, oat, almond, coconut and rice drink.Results: Nutritional label information was collected for 399 products. Milk naturally contains many micronutrients, e.g. vitamin B₂, B₁₂ and Ca. Approximately 50 % of the regular plant-based drinks was fortified with Ca, whereas the organic plant-based drinks were mostly unfortified. Protein quantity and quality were highest in milk. Soy drink had the best protein quality to carbon footprint ratio and milk came second.Conclusions: The nutrition – climate change balance presented in this study, is in line with previous literature, which shows that semi-skimmed bovine milk and fortified soy drink deserve a place in a sustainable diet.

The influence of dietary protein intake on muscle mass in adults remains unclear. Our objective was to investigate the association between protein intake and muscle mass in 31,278 men and 45,355 women from the Lifelines Cohort. Protein intake was estimated by food frequency questionnaire and muscle mass was estimated from 24 h urinary creatinine excretion. The age range was 18–91 years and mean total protein intake was 1.0 ± 0.3 g/kg/day. Across increasing quartiles of total protein intake, animal protein intake, and fish/meat/egg protein intake, creatinine excretion significantly increased in both men (+4% for total and +6% for fish/meat/egg protein intake, p < 0.001) and women (+3% for total and +6% for fish/meat/egg protein intake, p < 0.001). The associations were not systematically stronger or weaker with increasing age, but associations were strongest for young men (26–45 years) and older women (>75 years). The association between total protein intake and muscle mass was dependent on physical activity in women (p interaction < 0.001). This study suggests that total protein intake, animal protein intake, and in particular fish/meat/egg protein intake may be important for building and preserving muscle mass. Dietary protein sources should be further studied for their potential to build and preserve muscle mass.

Dairy products are nutrient-rich foods that may contribute to adequate nutrient intakes. However, dairy intake might also be associated with other food sources that influence nutrient intakes. Therefore, we studied the association of dairy, milk and cheese intake with intake of foods and nutrients from (non)dairy sources. Dietary intake was assessed from 2007 to 2010 through two non-consecutive 24-h dietary recalls in 1007 children (7–13 years) and 706 adolescents (14–18 years). Participants were divided into non-consumers of a particular dairy product and tertiles according to their dairy intake (lowest, medium and highest intake). P for trend was calculated by linear regression over the median intakes of non-consumers and the tertiles for dairy, milk and cheese. In children, higher dairy consumption was associated with higher intakes of fruits (54.8 g ± 22.3; p < 0.0001), vegetables (25.0 g ± 14.6; p = 0.001) and cereals (18.5 g ± 20.7; p = 0.01) and with lower consumption of non-alcoholic beverages (−281 g ± 101; p = 0.01): soft drinks (−159 g ± 28.2; p < 0.0001) and fruit juices (−40.5 ± 14.8; p = 0.01). Results were comparable for milk consumption. In adolescents, similar results were found for milk and dairy consumption, except for the associations with higher fruits and vegetable intake. In children and adolescents, higher cheese consumption was associated with higher vegetable and non-alcoholic beverages consumption; and lower meat consumption (−7.8 g ± 4.8; p = 0.05) in children. Higher cheese consumption was also associated with higher intakes of saturated fat (8.5 g ± 0.9), trans-fatty acids (0.48 g ± 0.06), sodium (614 mg ± 59.3) and several vitamins and minerals . Higher milk and dairy consumption were associated with lower non-alcoholic beverages consumption, and higher cereal, fruit and vegetable consumption in children, which was also reflected in the nutrient intakes. These findings confirm that the consumption of milk and dairy products might be a marker for healthier eating habits.

Chrono-nutrition (meal timing) aligns food consumption with one’s circadian rhythm. The first meal (e.g., breakfast) likely promotes synchronization of peripheral circadian clocks, thereby supporting metabolic health. Time-restricted feeding (TRF) has been shown to reduce body weight (BW) and/or improve cardiovascular biomarkers. In this explorative literature assessment, 13 TRF randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected from PubMed and Scopus to evaluate the effects of early (eTRF: first meal before 10:30 a.m.) and late TRF (lTRF: first meal after 11:30 a.m.) on parameters of metabolic health. Although distinct variations in study design were evident between reports, TRF consistently decreased energy intake (EI) and BW, and improved insulin resistance as well as systolic blood pressure. eTRF seemed to have a greater beneficial effect than lTRF on insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Importantly, most studies did not appear to consider chronotype in their evaluation, which may have underestimated TRF effects. TRF intervention may be a promising approach for risk reduction of human metabolic diseases. To conclusively determine benefits of TRF and identify clear differences between eTRF and lTRF, future studies should be longer-term (≥8 weeks) with well-defined (differences in) feeding windows, include participants chronotypically matching the intervention, and compare outcomes to those of control groups without any dietary limitations.

Dairy fat intake, reflected by the biomarkers C14:0, C15:0, C17:0, trans-C16:1 (n-7), trans-C18:1 (n-7) and CLA, may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. It has, however, been questioned whether this association is genuine, since C15:0 and C17:0 are also biomarkers from fish. We investigated whether the above biomarkers are reliable markers for dairy fat intake in 864 healthy subjects. Subsequently, we explored the association between these biomarkers and cardiovascular risk factors. Intakes of dairy and fish were determined by Food Frequency Questionnaires FFQs. Fatty acids were analyzed in plasma triglycerides (TG) and phospholipids (PL). Median intakes of dairy and fish fat were 12.3 (8.4–17.4) g/day and 1.14 (0.53–1.75) g/day. All fatty acids, except TG C17:0, were associated with dairy fat (std.β range TG: 0.12 for C14:0 till 0.25 for C15:0 and Trans-C18:1 (n-7); and std.β range PL: 0.12 for C17:0 and Trans-C16:1 (n-7) till 0.24 for Trans-C18:1 (n-7) and CLA; p < 0.001). TG C17:0 was associated with fish fat (std.β = 0.08; p = 0.03), whereas PL C17:0 was not. Associations remained after adjustment for fish/dairy fat intake. Strongest inverse associations with biological variables were found with PL C17:0 and Trans-C18:1 (n-7) (Std.βs: waist circumference: −0.18, p < 0.001 and −0.10, p < 0.05; BMI: −0.17, p < 0.001, −0.11, p < 0.01; glucose: −0.10, p <0.01 and −0.08, p <0.05; high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP): −0.22, p < 0.001 and −0.16, p < 0.01; uric acid: −0.27, p < 0.001 and −0.24, p < 0.001). In conclusion, fatty acid biomarkers, except plasma TG C17:0, were associated with dairy fat intake, independent of fish fat intake. PL C17:0 and trans-C18:1 (n-7) were inversely associated with adiposity, diabetes, inflammation and uric acid.

The benefits of dairy consumption seem to extend beyond its significant contribution to ensuring nutrient intake adequacy as indicated by the favourable associations with several health outcomes reported by different studies. The aims of the present study were to examine the associations of milk consumption with fitness, anthropometric and biochemical indices in children and further explore whether the observed associations are attributed to vitamins B₂ and B₁₂ derived from milk. A representative subsample of 600 children aged 9–13 years participating in the Healthy Growth Study was examined. Data were collected on children’s dietary intake, using 24 h recalls, as well as on fitness, anthropometric and biochemical indices. Regression analyses were performed for investigating the research hypothesis, adjusting for potential confounders and for B-vitamin status indices (i.e., plasma riboflavin, methylmalonic acid and total homocysteine concentrations), dietary calcium intake and plasma zinc concentrations that could possibly act as effect modifiers. Milk consumption was positively associated with the number of stages performed in the endurance run test (ERT) (β = 0.10; p = 0.017) and negatively with body mass index (BMI) (β = −0.10; p = 0.014), after adjusting for several potential confounders and effect modifiers. Dietary intakes of vitamin B₂ and B₁₂ derived from milk were also positively associated with the number of ERT stages (β = 0.10; p = 0.015 and β = 0.10; p = 0.014 respectively). In conclusion, higher intake of milk as well as vitamin B₂ and B₁₂ derived from milk were independently associated with higher cardiorespiratory fitness in Greek preadolescents. The key roles of these B-vitamins in substrate oxidation, energy production, haemoglobin synthesis and erythropoiesis could provide a basis for interpreting these associations. However, further research is needed to confirm this potential interpretation.