Conference Proceedings: Dairy Nutrition,An Engine for Economic Growth

Abstract

The U.S. Dairy Export Council’s Dairy for Global Nutrition Initiative hosted a conference titled, “Dairy Nutrition: An Engine for Economic Growth,” held on May 10 to 11, 2017, at the Boise Center in Boise, Idaho. Speakers explored the role of dairy products in mitigating malnutrition, stimulating local economies, and promoting better health, globally.

At the inaugural conference of the U.S. Dairy Export Council’s Dairy for Global Nutrition Initiative titled, “Dairy Nutrition: An Engine for Economic Growth,” the science supporting dairy products’ role in battling malnutrition, stimulating local economies, and improving long-term health globally was explored and discussed. Researchers from Africa, Europe, Australia, and North America shared research experiences that spanned from prenatal and infant nutrition to chronic disease in aging populations, all with an emphasis on how high-quality dairy product ingredients can be cost-effective supplemental nutrition to help improve human health. The summaries of the speaker presentations are presented in this supplement.

Dr Stobaugh explored moderate-acute malnutrition, a worldwide public health crisis that affects 33 million children every year. Her research shows that whey-based supplementary food is more effective at treating moderate-acute malnutrition in children than soy-based supplementary food. Of note is that whereas whey-based supplementary food is more expensive to produce than soy-based supplementary food, cost-effectiveness per child is recovered when the cost of administration and success rate are considered, thereby nullifying the extra cost of whey.

Dr Schlossman described results from studies conducted in Guinea-Bissau as a result of a public–private partnership funded by the US Department of Agriculture through a special program called the Micronutrient Fortifies Food Aid Pilot Project. She stressed the importance of integration with local food systems to target critical populations of mothers and infants, particularly during the “First 1000 days.” Her research indicates that whey supplementation could beneficially affect infant and child growth in Guinea-Bissau. Importantly, dairy protein has been demonstrated to prevent moderate-acute malnutrition in children under 2 years of age in Guinea-Bissau, independent of their family dynamic.

Dr Manary and Ms Callaghan-Gillespie commented on protein quality grading systems and how they applied to food aid. They explained 3 major factors taken into consideration when thinking about protein requirements: protein source, protein digestibility, and the amino acid requirement of the individual. When addressing malnutrition, protein quality is of the utmost importance, considering quantities may be low, and all essential amino acids are necessary for proper muscle maintenance and growth.

Ms Callaghan-Gillespie and Ms Mui then went on to describe a linear program tool designed to optimize supplemental nutrition for target populations. The tool, which runs on a specific algorithm to create output, can help developers with feasibility and scale-up testing.

Dr Michaelsen presented a review of global research on the effects of milk as a supplemental feeding ingredient. His results indicate that the high-quality protein, lactose, and bioavailable minerals in milk make it a desirable ingredient in supplemental nutrition. Limitations include the cost of production and lactose intolerance in recipients, whether real or perceived.

Dr Clark explored the association between maternal diet and low birth weight and stunting. His findings indicate an association between moderate dairy protein consumption and reduced risk of low birth weight babies. Of interest is the association between protein-to-carbohydrate ratios and gestational weight gain and fetal programming.

Dr Adu-Afarwuah described how in Ghana, the consumption of small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNSs), developed using milk powder, oil, sugar, and micronutrients, taken during pregnancy helped mitigate low birth weight. Further, children whose mothers consumed the supplement and then also administered it to their children had children who were longer and heavier at 18 months of age than those children who did not have the supplement and whose mothers consumed just iron and folic acid, but not the LNS. Whereas LNS was associated with a lower incidence of stunting in Ghana, conflicting data have been collected from other regions indicating a need for more research in this area.

Dr Kulkarni exposed the double burden of malnutrition, the phenomenon of being overfed, but undernourished, in low- and middle-income countries that are in nutrition and epidemiological transition. Her review of literature from developing countries indicates that stunting and malnourishment during early childhood are associated with risk of chronic disease in adulthood and that childhood lean body mass is a better predictor of chronic disease in later life than childhood body mass. This is important for public health intervention, which according to Dr Kulkarni’s work should aim to increase childhood lean body mass.

Mr Moses explained the role of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in helping companies expand to emerging markets. The dairy product sector has unique challenges and opportunities that the IFC, as part of the World Bank Group, could help capitalize on.

The final speaker, Dr. DiRienzo, outlined a call to action to put research findings into practice. He reminded the audience of the importance of the first 1000 days as a critical window in preventing stunting and malnutrition. He stressed the importance of protein quality in supplemental nutrition and questioned whether higher-cost dairy product ingredients were truly more costly in the long term, because of their high-quality protein content and effectiveness at helping to prevent malnutrition and decrease the risk of chronic disease.

The conference was an opportunity for researchers from different disciplines to come together and explore solutions to malnutrition, globally. There was general consensus that dairy product ingredients offer high-quality nutrition at a good value for long-term investment. The use of dairy product ingredients in supplemental nutrition could beneficially affect birth weight, malnutrition, and chronic-disease risk and stimulate local economies. More transdisciplinary research and scholarship are necessary to better understand and improve cost-effectiveness and help bring research into practice.