Bone and Inflammation Effects of Greek Yogurt Supplementation in Regular Exercisers Across the Lifespan
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Dairy foods provide macro and micronutrients in a complex matrix that supports skeletal health and inflammation regulation. Research shows dairy can influence chronic bone turnover during exercise in various populations, including lean men, adolescent girls, and women with overweight or obesity. Most studies use milk or protein supplements, with few examining fermented whole-food dairy products such as Greek yogurt (GY) across different athletic and exercising groups. Fewer studies have taken an integrated approach that considers both bone turnover and inflammation together, despite the close biological connection between these systems. This dissertation includes three studies examining the effects of GY supplementation in both male and female athletic and exercising populations. Studies 1 and 2 were two phases of a large, controlled trial investigating the effects of Greek yogurt versus whey protein (WP) supplementation on markers of bone turnover and inflammation in adolescent and young adult athletes over their entire competitive season. In both studies, male and female participants followed their habitual diets for an 8-week control period, and then randomly assigned to one iii of two trial arms: 2 servings/day of either 175g of GY (17g protein) or isonitrogenous WP for a 16-week intervention period. The results showed that although protein supplementation, independent of source (whole-food or isolates), showed potential bone and inflammatory benefits during athletic training, it remains unclear whether these effects were solely attributable to the supplements. However, the results were more variable and often sex-specific in the adolescent cohort compared to young adult athletes. Study 3 is a pilot intervention trial examining the effects of an 8-week GY supplementation on bone turnover and inflammation in older adult exercisers and non-exercisers. The findings suggest GY may positively influence bone turnover in exercisers, and inflammatory status in non-exercisers, but longer interventions are needed to confirm whether whole-food dairy proteins can meaningfully support skeletal and immune health in trained adults.
Author: Bell, Madison
Language: English
Subfield: Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7205507552