We analyzed the consumption of dairy products and association with the nutritional status of adults based on “Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey, RLMS-HSE” 1994-2012. Dietary intake (24h recall) and anthropometric data were collected by trained interviewers in >135,000 subjects during observational period. Per capita consumption (PCC) of drinking milk (including milk from prepared meals like porridges, milk soups, etc.) was varying from year to year but did not change critically during the period. PCC of fermented dairies increased by 3 times, while curd/curd products and hard cheeses increased by 2 times and 1.4 time, respectively. Among fermented dairies, kefir increased from 10.9 to 25.6 g/day and yogurt increased from 0.9g to 8.6 g/day. Yogurt consumption decreased with age in adults of both genders with the minimum values in older adults (蠅 60 yo). Higher kefir consumption, on the contrary, was observed in this latter population. In general, yogurt, kefir or the sum of fermented dairies was associated with higher intake of calcium, vitamin B2 and protein. Anthropometric data showed that adult yogurt consumers had lower mean values of BMI (T-test P<0,001) and lower prevalence of overweight/obesity (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.68-0.85, P<0,001) compared to non-consumers. This was not observed in the group of kefir consumers.
Our study showed that fermented dairies consumption is associated with higher nutrients intake. Results further suggested that yogurt consumption is associated with lower prevalence of overweight/obesity among adults.