The between-day reproducibility of fasting, satiety-related analytes, in 8 to 11 year-old boys

Biological variation of capillary blood glucose: A systematic review

Biological variation (BV) refers to changes in biochemical constituents in the blood or other biological fluids, indicative of body regulation via homeostatic processes. Intra- and interindividual BV data are essential for establishing analytical performance specifications and evaluating the significance between consecutive measurements of an analyte. Given this context, the present study conducted a systematic review of the intra- and interindividual BV of capillary blood glucose. Out of 461 initial studies identified, only 4 met the inclusion criteria for detailed analysis after excluding 419 for title irrelevance, 10 for duplication, 21 based on abstract content and 7 based on article content. Notably, none of the studies primarily focused on the intra- and interindividual BV of capillary blood glucose; rather, they reported it as a secondary outcome. Regarding fasting, data analyses revealed intra-individual BVs of 4.5 and 31.1% for healthy and diabetic individuals, respectively, and interindividual coefficient of variations of 4.7-5.8 and 12.9-16.3% for healthy and diabetic individuals, respectively. Only one study provided the analytical coefficient of variation, corroborating the recommended practices. Additionally, the fasting duration, meal standardization before sampling, and number and interval between collections varied among the studies. Hence, the results suggest that there are no reliable data on intra- and interindividual BVs for capillary blood glucose in the literature.

The potential nutrition-, physical- and health-related benefits of cow's milk for primary-school-aged children

Cow's milk is a naturally nutrient-dense foodstuff. A significant source of many essential nutrients, its inclusion as a component of a healthy balanced diet has been long recommended. Beyond milk's nutritional value, an increasing body of evidence illustrates cow's milk may confer numerous benefits related to health. Evidence from adult populations suggests that cow's milk may have a role in overall dietary quality, appetite control, hydration and cognitive function. Although evidence is limited compared with the adult literature, these benefits may be echoed in recent paediatric studies. This article, therefore, reviews the scientific literature to provide an evidence-based evaluation of the associated health benefits of cow's milk consumption in primary-school-aged children (4-11 years). We focus on seven key areas related to nutrition and health comprising nutritional status, hydration, dental and bone health, physical stature, cognitive function, and appetite control. The evidence consistently demonstrates cow's milk (plain and flavoured) improves nutritional status in primary-school-aged children. With some confidence, cow's milk also appears beneficial for hydration, dental and bone health and beneficial to neutral concerning physical stature and appetite. Due to conflicting studies, reaching a conclusion has proven difficult concerning cow's milk and cognitive function; therefore, a level of caution should be exercised when interpreting these results. All areas, however, would benefit from further robust investigation, especially in free-living school settings, to verify conclusions. Nonetheless, when the nutritional-, physical- and health-related impact of cow's milk avoidance is considered, the evidence highlights the importance of increasing cow's milk consumption.

Metabolic, endocrine and appetite-related responses to acute and daily milk snack consumption in healthy, adolescent males

Comprising of two experiments, this study assessed the metabolic, endocrine and appetite-related responses to acute and chronic milk consumption in adolescent males (15-18 y). Eleven adolescents [mean ± SD age: 16.5 ± 0.9 y; BMI: 23.3 ± 3.3 kg/m2] participated in the acute experiment and completed two laboratory visits (milk vs. fruit-juice) in a randomized crossover design, separated by 7-d. Seventeen adolescents [age: 16.1 ± 0.9 y; BMI: 21.8 ± 3.7 kg/m2] completed the chronic experiment. For the chronic experiment, a parallel design with two groups was used. Participants were randomly allocated and consumed milk (n = 9) or fruit-juice (n = 8) for 28-d, completing laboratory visits on the first (baseline, day-0) and last day (follow-up, day-28) of the intervention phase. On laboratory visits (for both experiments), measures of appetite, metabolism and endocrine responses were assessed at regular intervals. In addition, eating behavior was quantified by ad libitum assessment under laboratory conditions and in the free-living environment by weighed food record. Acute milk intake stimulated glucagon (P = 0.027 [16.8 pg mL; 95% CI: 2.4, 31.3]) and reduced ad libitum energy intake relative to fruit-juice (P = 0.048 [-651.3 kJ; 95% CI: -1294.1, -8.6]), but was comparable in the free-living environment. Chronic milk intake reduced free-living energy intake at the follow-up visit compared to baseline (P = 0.013 [-1910.9 kJ; 95% CI: -554.6, -3267.2]), whereas the opposite was apparent for fruit-juice. Relative to baseline, chronic milk intake increased the insulin response to both breakfast (P = 0.031) and mid-morning milk consumption (P = 0.050) whilst attenuating blood glucose (P = 0.025). Together, these findings suggest milk consumption impacts favorably on eating behavior in adolescent males, potentially through integrated endocrine responses.