New Study: Dairy Intake Reduces Stunting Among Children in Bangladesh

Washington, D.C.: Milk consumption has   a large impact on linear growth in the crucial first 1,000 days of an infant’s life, reducing stunting by 10.4 point among children in Bangladesh, according to a new study by a researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)..

“Increasing access to dairy products can be extremely beneficial to the nutrition and long-term health of children 6-23 months of age when incorporated into a diet that includes good breastfeeding practices,” says Derek Headey, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI, and lead author of the study. “Given almost half of children in rural Bangladesh are stunted, increasing dairy consumption among children and women of childbearing age should be a central priority for nutritional strategies in Bangladesh.”

Photo credit: IFPRI