TABLE 1.
Studies of yogurt consumption in the elderly1
| Area and first author (ref) | Study design | Population | Key findings |
| Bone and muscle health | |||
| Bonjour (4) | Randomized, double-blind controlled trial, 2-mo supplementation with vitamin D and calcium-fortified yogurt or nonfortified yogurt control | Institutionalized elderly women (n = 89; mean ± SD age: 85.5 ± 6.6 y) | PTH and bone resorption markers decreased after supplementation |
| Ferrazzano (5) | Cross-sectional in vitro study exploring the effect of CCPs (contained in yogurt) on dental enamel mineralization | Human molars (n = 80; unspecified age) | Yogurt CCPs protected molars against demineralization and promoted remineralization |
| Heaney (6) | Crossover study; subjects consumed a jelled fruit-flavored snack or fruit-flavored yogurt for 7–11 d | Postmenopausal women (n = 29; mean ± SD age: 61 ± 4 y) | Decreased bone resorption, as seen by a significant decrease in urinary N-telopeptide |
| Sahni (7) | Longitudinal study (12-y follow-up) | Framingham Offspring Study (n = 3212; mean ± SD age: 55 ± 1.6 y) | Yogurt intake was positively associated with trochanter bone mineral density and was mildly protective against hip fractures; authors stated that this protection needs to be verified further |
| Cardiometabolic disease | |||
| Goldbohm (8) | Prospective cohort study (Netherlands Cohort Study) | Men and women (n = 120,852; age range: 50–69 y) | Fermented milk intake was inversely associated with all-cause mortality in men and women |
| Margolis (9) | Prospective cohort study (Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study) | Postmenopausal women, nondiabetic at enrollment (n = 82,076; age range: 50–79 y) | Yogurt intake was associated with a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes |
| Sonestedt (10) | Prospective cohort study (Swedish Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort, 12-y follow-up) | Men and women, no cardiovascular disease on enrollment (n = 26,445; age range: 44–74) | Fermented dairy product consumption was inversely related to cardiovascular disease |
| Immunology | |||
| Makino (11) | Meta-analysis of 2 independent randomized studies in which subjects consumed yogurt or milk for 8 or 12 wk | Healthy elderly subjects (study 1: n = 57; median age: 74.5 y; study 2: n = 85; median age: 67.7 y) | In the yogurt group there was a significantly lower risk of catching the common cold, and a significant increase in natural killer cell activity |
| Schiffrin (12) | Observational study with one treatment group consuming yogurt with Lactobacillus johnsonii for 1 mo | Elderly men and women with or without hypochlorhydria (positive breath test for hydrogen, n = 23; negative breath test, n = 13; mean ± SD age: 76.9 ± 7.3 y) | Endotoxemia and leukocyte phagocytosis decreased in both groups after yogurt consumption; monocyte and neutrophil activity (ex vivo production of cytokines or reactive oxygen species, respectively) increased in the positive breath test group after consumption |
| Cognition | |||
| Crichton (13) | Cross-sectional study | Men and women (n = 1183; age range: 39–65 y) | Low-fat yogurt intake was associated with memory recall (self-reported) and social functioning in men |
1
CCP, casein phosphopeptide; PTH, parathyroid hormone; ref, reference.