Table 2. Clinical trials investigating the health effects of dairy products

Type of study	Participants	Treatment	Duration	Key findings	Exercise	References
RCT	Humans of any age, health status, or sex (n=907)	Fermented-milk kefir 100–800 mL/day	10 days–6 month	↓ Total cholesterol↓ LDL cholesterol↔ Bone mineral density	☓	[97]
RCT, quasi-experimental study	Older adults with sarcopenia≥60 years (n=854)	Nutritional supplementation (whey, protein, leucine, casein, milk, and soy)	10–24 weeks	↑ Grip strength↔ 5-chair stand test↔ gait speed	○	[101]
RCT, double-blind	Healthy older adults (60–84 year) (n=122)	Milk protein 10 g/day	26 weeks	↑Lean body mass↔ Physical performance tests	○	[75]
RCT, double-blind	Middle-aged Korean adults (n=120)	Fermented whey protein	8 weeks	↑ Muscle strength↑ Muscle mass↑ Physical performance	☓	[73]
RCT, double-blind	Older adults with sarcopenia (n≈380)	Leucine-enriched protein	13 weeks	↑ Grip strength↑ SPPB score	☓	[76]
Cohort	Korean adults aged≥50 years	Dairy product	Long-term follow-up (~10 years)	Maintained muscle mass and physical function↓ Risk of sarcopenia	☓	[60]
RCT	Adults (total n=468)	Dairy product	3–12 weeks	↑ Lactobacillus↑ Bifidobacterium↓ Bacteroides fragilis	☓	[6]

RCT, randomized controlled trial; LDL, low density lipoprotein; SPPB, short physical performance battery.