Whole milk leads to leanness in early childhood, Toronto researchers suggest.

A recent study by Toronto researchers has suggested that children who drank whole milk tended to be leaner than those who drank low fat or skim milk.

Suggesting to take a closer look at the guidelines indicated in the study published,

Dr. Jonathon Maguire, a pediatrician at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and also the author of the study said,

"If you don't get fat from someplace, then you take energy from somewhere else, and it may be that children who are receiving reduced fat milk seek foods that are higher in caloric density, and maybe that's why they're a bit bigger."

The reverse is also possible, as parents of children who are overweight may choose to provide them with low fat milk, he added.

Maguire suggests people to ask doctors and researchers for guidance on what kind of milk to give their children.

Children who drank whole (3.25 per cent fat content) milk had a Body Mass Index (BMI) score that was 0.72 units lower than those who drank 1 or 2 per cent milk.

Dr. Daniel Flanders is a pediatrician in Toronto said, "May be it's not the greatest idea to put two-year-olds on skim milk.We still don't know the answer, but this is another step in the direction of making our recommendations more evidence-based."

Canada's Food Guide currently recommends two servings of milk or alternatives each day for children aged two to eight.

Health Canada is currently in the process of reviewing and seeking input to update the food guide. The public consultations end on Dec. 8.

The study is published in the The American Jiurnal of Clinical Nutrition.

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