HVN1935 YUMMI Metadata Record - Investigating the effects of cow, goat or sheep milk on nutrition and digestive comfort in older women

This metadata record and it's attached files make statements about the kinds of data collected as part of this research, and set out policies for governance of that data, now and in the future.

Description: Protein and calcium are essential nutrients for older adults to help maintain muscle and bone mass, but these nutrients are often not consumed in recommended amounts. Milk is an excellent source of both protein and calcium, along with other important nutrients. Milk avoidance is often associated with poor nutrition in older adults.

Older adults may avoid milk due to gastrointestinal discomfort after consuming milk, which may be caused by age-related changes in gastrointestinal function. Women may be more susceptible to these effects. However, milk from different ruminant species (for example, cow, sheep, or goat) may have different effects on gastrointestinal comfort. For instance, although cow milk is most often consumed in NZ, goat and sheep milk may be better tolerated due to different protein structures that may be easier to digest than cow milk protein. Most studies examining differences in the type of milk on nutrition intake and gastrointestinal comfort have included younger people, and are of short duration.

Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare the effects of consuming different types of milk (goat, sheep, cow) on nutrition intake and gastrointestinal comfort of older adults, over 12 weeks.

This research will help determine whether healthy older adults in NZ and worldwide can drink alternatives to cow milk, such as goat and sheep milk, to meet their protein, energy, vitamin, and mineral requirements with greater ease of digestion and reduced gastrointestinal discomfort.