Dairy Intake in Relation to Metabolic Health Status, Serum Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Adropin: A Cross-Sectional Study on Iranian Adults Publisher Pubmed



Moradmand Z ; Amani Tirani S ; Shahdadian F ; Hajhashemy Z ; Rouhani P ; Saneei P
Source: BMJ Open Published:2026

Abstract

ObjectiveFindings of previous studies on associations between dairy consumption and metabolic health status were inconsistent. This study aimed to assess the link between consumption of dairy foods and metabolic health status, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and adropin levels in adults.DesignCross-sectional.SettingAn observational study in Isfahan, Iran.ParticipantsAdults (n=527) selected by multistage cluster random sampling. Dietary intakes were assessed via a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire.Primary outcome and secondary outcome measuresAnthropometric indices, blood pressure and biochemical parameters were assessed. The criteria proposed by Wildman et al were used to categorise participants into metabolically healthy and metabolically unhealthy (MU).ResultsParticipants had a mean age of 42.66 years (45.7% women). Moderate consumption of total dairy was, respectively, linked to 58% lower odds of MU (OR T2 vs T1=0.42; 95% CI 0.18 to 0.96), after taking all confounders into account. Participants in the middle versus low tertile of low-fat dairy intake showed 51% marginally lower odds of MU (OR T2 vs T1=0.49; 95% CI 0.22 to 1.08; p=0.08). No significant association was discovered between high-fat dairy intake and MU chance. However, higher total dairy intake was associated with lower odds of hypertension (OR T3 vs T1=0.36; 95% CI: 0.14 to 0.93). No significant associations were observed between dairy intake and BDNF or adropin levels.ConclusionModerate consumption of total and low-fat dairy was associated with lower odds of being metabolically unhealthy in Iranian adults, but high-fat dairy intake was not. Hypertension was less common among individuals with higher dairy intake. No association was found between dairy intake and serum levels of BDNF or adropin. © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.