Inverse Association between Regular Milk Consumption and Insulin Resistance in Obese Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the association between the regular milk consumption and insulin resistance in obese children and adolescents. Subjects and Methods: This research was carried out on 136 obese subjects aged 6-17 years. Frequency of milk consumption was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and consumption five times or more per week was considered “regular”. In addition, the physical activity levels and daily energy intake of subjects, that thought to be potential confounding factors, were identified. To assess insulin resistance, the Homeostatic Model Assessment of IR (HOMA-IR) score, calculated from fasting glucose and insulin levels, was used. The association between regular milk consumption and insulin resistance was examined by binary logistic regression analysis with adjustment for potential confounding factors. Results: The 40.4% of participants, whose mean age were 11.54±2.84 years, were male and 59.6% were female. It was determined that fasting insulin levels and HOMA-IR scores of subjects who consumed regular milk (≥5 times/week) were lower than those who did not (p<0.05). Daily energy and nutrient intake of subjects with and without insulin resistance were found to be similar (p>0.05). In the generated logistic regression models, it has been shown that milk consumption significantly affects insulin resistance in a negative and statistically significant manner. When adjusted for potential confounding factors such as age, gender, physical activity and daily energy intake, regular consumption of milk reduced the risk of developing insulin resistance in obese children and adolescents by 60.3% (95% Confidence Interval: 0.181-0.869) (p=0.021). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the regular milk consumption may be associated with lower insulin resistance among obese children and adolescents.