The Effect of Fermented Dairy Intake and Abdominal Obesity in Adults: A Systematic Review and Dose–Response Meta-Analysis of Cohort Studies Publisher



Hashemi Javaheri FS^{1, 2} ; Nasiri Jounaghani M³ ; Sahebkar A^{6, 7, 8} ; Norouzzadeh M^{4, 5} ; Delgarm P⁴ ; Shahinfar H^{4, 5} ; Mirdar Harijani A⁴ Show Affiliations
Source: Eating and Weight Disorders Published:2025

Abstract

Objectives: Diverse analysis has analyzed the potential efficacy of consuming foods created through the fermentation of dairy in mitigating abdominal obesity. The current meta-analysis aims to determine the impacts of consuming fermented dairy foods and the occurrence of abdominal obesity. Methods: Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases were queried for records published before January 13, 2023, to investigate proportionate cohort studies. We employed a random-effects model to appraise the relative risk (RR); effect size was assessed through the 95% confidence interval (CI). Additionally, a one-stage dose–response analysis was executed, quality assessment was conducted through the ROBINS-E tool. Results: Consequently, five publications, comprising 41,430 cases, were included as selected studies. The pooled effect shows an effect on the abdominal obesity risk; however, the effect was not significant. Subgroup analyses revealed a potential risk reduction effect in high- and low-fat and fermented dairy productions, although the findings were not statistically significant. Furthermore, the dose–response analysis indicated a linear decrease in risk with increasing consumption of high-fat fermented yogurt, with an HR of 0.84 (95% CI 0.71, 0.99) by 8 servings/week and an HR of 0.37 (95% CI 0.19, 0.71) by 21 servings/week. Conclusion: These findings imply the potential effectiveness of fermented dairy products, particularly high-fat yogurt, in diminishing the obesity risk. However, further research addressing the limitations of previous studies is essential to confirm these results. Evidence-based medicine level: No level of evidence: Level of evidence III. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023387538 (http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO). © The Author(s) 2025.