Plant-Based Drinks as an Alternative to Cow's Milk in Early Life: Health Effects in Infancy, Childhood, and Adolescence
Abstract
Background: Plant-based milk alternatives (PBMA) are increasingly being consumed as a supplement to or replacement for cow's milk, even in infancy and childhood. Their effects on later health and growth have been insufficiently studied. We analyze the available evidence concerning the effects of PBMA consumption on health and growth in infants, children, and adolescents.
Methods: This review is based on publications retrieved by a structured literature search on health and growth outcomes of PBMA consumption in infancy, childhood, and adolescence.
Results: Comparative cross-sectional and cohort studies have shown that the intake of nutrients typically found in cow's milk, such as iodine, is lower with exclusive consumption of PBMA. Even the partial replacement of cow's milk by PBMA is associated with reduced linear growth and a lower body-mass index (BMI). The height-for-age z-score was -0.04 [-0.07; -0.01] and the BMI-for-age z-score was -0.06 [-0.09; -0.03] for each cup of PBMA in five-year-olds, corresponding to reductions of 0.2 cm in height and 0.1 kg in weight. There have been case reports of severe malnutrition and undernutrition from the exclusive or predominant consumption of PBMA, mainly in the first two years of life, but the informational value of these reports is limited. Our search did not retrieve any longitudinal studies on long-term outcomes or any randomized intervention trials comparing the consumption of cow's milk and PBMA.
Conclusion: High PBMA…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Effectiveness of Bisphosphonates and Denosumab on Risk of Vertebral Fractures in Prostate Cancer Patients Under Androgen Deprivation Therapies: A Real-World Prospective Study
- Osteoporosis-related fractures after spinal cord injury: a retrospective study from Brazil
- Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, parathyroid hormone, and mortality in older men
- Lack of Association between Vitamin D Insufficiency and Cardiovascular or Fracture Risk: A UK Biobank Study
- Muscle strength and body composition are clinical indicators of osteoporosis
- Incidence of bone protection and associated fragility injuries in patients with proximal femur fractures
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.