Dairy’s Impact on First 1,000 Days of Life

Any mother will tell you she wants to give her baby every opportunity to thrive and be healthy. This isn’t just after birth but during the nine months of pregnancy.

I have a son and a daughter – and a set of twin boys on the way – and as a registered dietitian I understand how critical each moment is to provide a baby with a healthy start to life, including their brain health and cognition.

Our National Dairy Council (NDC) team has focused a lot on the first 1,000 days of life, which represents the period from conception to a child’s second birthday. While it’s easy to see a baby’s physical growth during pregnancy, there also is a lot happening with their brain, which grows from about 10,000 cells in the first month of pregnancy to a staggering 10 billion by the sixth month.

This is why every moment matters. Factors including nutrition during pregnancy and later with lactation, infancy and early toddlerhood are critical to impacting a child’s cognitive development, academic achievement and even productivity in society.

While NDC has long touted the science-backed benefits of dairy foods on overall health, we’re engaged with this exciting opportunity to talk about its impact on the brain and building a foundation to set children on a path to success.

The American Academy of Pediatrics lists 14 nutrients in their policy statement for improving nutrition during the 1,000-day time frame and dairy foods (i.e., milk, yogurt and cheese) provide seven: protein, zinc, choline, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and iodine.

You’re not alone if that last one caught you off guard a little. You may have last thought about iodine when memorizing the periodic table in school, but it’s shown to be a critical nutrient for early brain development.

Iodine is found naturally in foods including dairy, seafood and eggs, and research shows that milk and dairy foods are the largest food contributors to iodine intake in the U.S. Dairy alone provides a little more than 40% of the iodine consumption in girls and women.

Yet, iodine, which also is found in table salt, has become somewhat under-consumed as dietary advice steered people away from salt use and there has been a rise in inadequate iodine intake in U.S. pregnant women in recent years. Leading medical groups state that iodine deficiency is the most preventable cause of intellectual disability worldwide.

For these reasons, the topic of the first 1,000 days has become a pillar of work for NDC and state and regional dairy councils.

We have connected with dietitians, nurses and pediatricians through our webinar series and speaking engagements at key conferences and meetings. We are generating content through media outreach, our social media channels and NDC President Dr. Katie Brown did a TEDx talk about dairy’s importance to the first 1,000 days.

The momentum also is growing through our credentialed and talented team of NDC Ambassadors & Advisors who are champions of dairy nutrition and work with us to help educate their networks through media interviews, social media content and speaking opportunities.

My checkoff counterparts who work on consumer-facing marketing strategies also are making sure this information is reaching expecting mothers and those with newborns. And this isn’t just happening at Dairy Management Inc. (DMI) – it’s occurring across the state and regional network as well as checkoff organizations like U.S. Dairy Export Council, Newtrient and GENYOUth. We also are partnering with MilkPEP, the processor checkoff.

DMI has content posted at www.USDairy.com, including “Dairy Foods for Nutritional and Cognitive Development in Infants” and promotes this subject on its Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok channels.

DMI secured content partnerships with Healthline, BabyCenter, Good Housekeeping and USA Today. Additionally, through the checkoff’s Mayo Clinic collaboration, dairy-focused nutrition content is featured on Mayo Clinic Press’ website as well as on a dedicated Parenting Hub, including information specific to the first 1,000 days. Finally, we are using our “Dream Team” social media influencers, which includes parents who have strong audiences of followers and are sharing dairy content that is fun and engaging.

No doubt, the first 1,000-days strategy represents a unique surround-sound intersection of science and communications opportunities for the checkoff.

As we look forward, I understand I may be a little biased. I’m a mom, I’m pregnant, I’m a dietitian and I’m a dairy champion. But I really think this topic is gaining traction among researchers, health and wellness professionals and consumers.

Our goal is to keep the momentum going well into 2025 with even more audiences to hear our core message – dairy foods can positively impact a child during their most critical early moments of life.

To learn more about your national dairy checkoff, visit www.DairyCheckoff.com or to reach us directly, send an email to TalkToTheCheckoff@dairy.org.