Children who regularly consumed milk around age 5 were relatively less likely to develop obesity during their elementary school years, a study found. With obesity rates among Korean children and adolescents rising, the findings drawing attention suggest that milk consumption during growth years may help maintain a healthy weight.
According to Canada's CHILD cohort study recently published in the international journal The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, children who consumed milk around age 5 faced a relatively lower risk of obesity during elementary school. They showed better results than children who did not drink milk in obesity-related indicators such as body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and waist-to-height ratio.
The study drew on cohort data from long-term observation of children across Canada. The research team surveyed whether children consumed milk at age 5, then analyzed obesity-related indicators including BMI, body fat percentage, and waist-to-height ratio about three years later at age 8. The results showed that children who consumed milk consistently had lower levels not only in weight but also in body fat and abdominal obesity indicators.
The findings suggest that the starting point for obesity prevention may lie in the stage of forming eating habits during infancy, rather than after weight gain has occurred. Because eating habits at age 5 showed a correlation with health conditions during elementary school, some interpret the results as indicating a need to move up the timing of obesity management.
The study is drawing greater interest amid the steady rise in childhood and adolescent obesity in Korea. According to the Youth Health Behavior Survey by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the obesity rate among Korean middle and high school students more than doubled from 5.9% in 2006 to 12.5% in 2024. Childhood obesity is highly likely to lead to adult obesity and is also known as a factor that raises the risk of various chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease.
Milk is considered a representative food that supplies the nutrients needed by growing children relatively evenly. However, consumption of plain milk is declining each year due to falling demand amid low birth rates and the spread of alternative beverages. According to the Korea Dairy Committee, per-capita plain milk consumption last year was 22.9 kilograms, down 9.5% from 25.3 kilograms the previous year. Plain milk consumption has shown a steady decline, from 26.2 kilograms in 2022 to 25.9 kilograms in 2023 and 25.3 kilograms in 2024.
