Yongin Severance Professor Yujin Kwon Research Team
Adequate milk intake can supplement the recommended adult protein diet.
‘Association of milk consumption frequency on muscle mass and strength: an analysis of three representative Korean population studies’
Yonsei University College of Medicine Yongin Severance Hospital (Chief Dong-Hoon Choi) is a study by Professor Kwon Yu-jin and Lee Jun-hyuk of Family Medicine, and Professor Ji-won Lee of Family Medicine of Gangnam Severance Hospital’Association of milk consumption frequency in Korean adults’ Muscle mass and strength: an analysis of three representative Korean population studies)’ was published in the SCI-level international journal,’European Journal of Nutrition’, announced on December 21.
Adult sarcopenia, which is greatly affected by aging, is also deeply associated with metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes, so proper protein intake is recommended to prevent sarcopenia. However, in a survey of men and women aged 60 and older, 47.9% of men and 60.1% of women were reported to consume less protein than the recommended dietary allowance (RDA).
The research team analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey from 2008 to 2011, the National Health and Nutrition Survey from 2014 to 2016, and the Korean Genome Epidemiology Survey to reveal the relationship between milk consumption at least once a day in adults and maintenance of muscle mass and muscle strength.
Studies have shown that in adults, the group who consumed milk less than once a day had a 1.25 times higher risk of developing sarcopenia than the group who consumed milk at least once a day. In addition, in a cohort study (factor-controlled study) based on follow-up for an average of 9 years, it was confirmed that the group who consumed milk at least once a day had consistently higher muscle mass than the group that consumed less than once a day.
Milk consumption is a great help in supplementing animal protein. In addition, 20% of milk protein is crude protein, which has the advantage that it has a high content of essential amino acids Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine, and can be quickly digested within 2 hours. Therefore, proper milk intake can help meet the recommended protein diet for adults.
Professor Kwon Yu-jin said, “Milk contains a variety of nutrients such as high-quality protein and calcium, so eating more than one glass of milk a day helps prevent sarcopenia. This study proves that milk has a positive effect on our human body. It is meaningful to have done.”