Association between maternal milk intake during pregnancy and birth size of infants: results from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

OBJECTIVES: Cow milk is rich in essential nutrients for fetal growth. We investigated associations of maternal milk intake and macronutrient intake from milk with birth size. METHODS: We included 79,976 mother-infant pairs from an ongoing nationwide prospective Japanese cohort study. Maternal milk intake (full-fat and low-fat milk) was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression was performed to investigate the associations of total milk intake and macronutrient intake from milk with small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age. RESULTS: Median total milk intake was approximately 96.9 mL/day during pregnancy. The highest quintile of total milk intake was associated with a decreased SGA risk compared with the lowest quintile of total milk intake (odds ratio: 0.87; 95% confidence interval: 0.80-0.95). Compared with women who consumed full-fat milk less than once per month, women with a higher frequency of full-fat milk intake were less likely to have SGA. No association was observed when the analysis was limited to those who did not consume full-fat milk. Compared with the lowest quintile, the higher quintiles of protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake from milk were associated with a reduced risk of SGA. There were no associations of milk intake with large for gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: We found that milk intake during pregnancy, particularly full-fat milk, was associated with a lower risk of SGA in a cohort of pregnant women with relatively low milk intake. Our results support the hypothesis that milk intake during pregnancy promotes fetal growth.

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Publication Details

Journal
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Published
2026-08-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-026-01786-3
Primary Topic
Gestational Diabetes Research and Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Association between maternal milk intake during pregnancy and birth size of infants: results from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Kenichi Sakurai, Naho Morisaki, Akemi Morita, Utako Murai et al.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Gestational Diabetes Research and Management
article

Association between maternal milk intake during pregnancy and birth size of infants: results from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Kenichi Sakurai, Naho Morisaki, Akemi Morita, Utako Murai, Tetsuo Nomiyama, Ryo Kawasaki, Sjúrđur F. Olsen, Kazue Ishitsuka, Takehiro Michikawa, Sanae Otawa, Eiji Yoshioka, Norie Sawada, Maki Fukami, Shoji F. Nakayama, Thorhallur Halldorsson, Narufumi Suganuma, Michihiro Kamijima, Shin Yamazaki, Reiko Kishi, Shuichi Ito, Mayumi Tsuji, Koichi Hashimoto, Chiharu Ota, On behalf of the Japan Environment and Children’s Study Group, Yasuhiro Takeshima, Takeo Nakayama, Kimitoshi Nakamura
article en

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Cow milk is rich in essential nutrients for fetal growth. We investigated associations of maternal milk intake and macronutrient intake from milk with birth size. METHODS: We included 79,976 mother-infant pairs from an ongoing nationwide prospective Japanese cohort study. Maternal milk intake (full-fat and low-fat milk) was assessed through a food frequency questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression was performed to investigate the associations of total milk intake and macronutrient intake from milk with small for gestational age (SGA) and large for gestational age. RESULTS: Median total milk intake was approximately 96.9 mL/day during pregnancy. The highest quintile of total milk intake was associated with a decreased SGA risk compared with the lowest quintile of total milk intake (odds ratio: 0.87; 95% confidence interval: 0.80-0.95). Compared with women who consumed full-fat milk less than once per month, women with a higher frequency of full-fat milk intake were less likely to have SGA. No association was observed when the analysis was limited to those who did not consume full-fat milk. Compared with the lowest quintile, the higher quintiles of protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake from milk were associated with a reduced risk of SGA. There were no associations of milk intake with large for gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: We found that milk intake during pregnancy, particularly full-fat milk, was associated with a lower risk of SGA in a cohort of pregnant women with relatively low milk intake. Our results support the hypothesis that milk intake during pregnancy promotes fetal growth.

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Statens Serum Institut (DK), Toho University (JP), Fukushima Medical University (JP), Kyushu University (JP), Harvard University (US), Shinshu University (JP), Chiba University (JP), University of Iceland (IS), University of Occupational and Environmental Health Japan (JP), National Institute for Environmental Studies (JP), Tohoku University (JP), Hokkaido University (JP), Kyoto University (JP), Nagoya City University (JP), Tottori University Hospital (JP), National Center For Child Health and Development (JP), University of Toyama (JP), University of Yamanashi (JP), Kōchi University (JP), Hyogo University (JP), Yokohama City University (JP), Kumamoto University (JP), The University of Osaka (JP)
Ministry of Environment
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Gestational Diabetes Research and Management
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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