Higher dairy product intake has shown beneficial effects on body weight, blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in Caucasian populations. This study evaluated dairy product intake and its association with body weight and CVD risk profile among a population undergoing a dietary transition in Canada, the Nunavik Inuit.
Data were collected from August 27 to October 1, 2004, in the 14 villages of Nunavik on a Canadian research icebreaker (Canadian Coast Guard ship Amundsen). Dairy product intake and calcium intake were evaluated in 543 Inuit using a food frequency questionnaire. Physiological (lipid profile, fasting glucose, and insulin) and anthropometrical measurements were also obtained.
The range of median dairy product intake extended from 120 g/d in the lowest tertile to 290 g/d in the highest tertile. The median of calcium intake was 524 mg/d. Participants in the highest tertile of dairy product consumption had higher body weight, fat-free mass, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and fasting glucose concentrations than participants in the lowest tertile (all p