The effects of yogurt vs milk on bone health, body composition and gut microbiota

This interdisciplinary placement provided me with the opportunity to contribute to two research projects: the Milk & Yogurt Study, a randomized controlled trial evaluating the impact of milk and yogurt supplementation on bone health, body composition, and gut health in Canadian adults, and the Nutrition & Growth Study, which investigates milk and dairy consumption and growth outcomes in Canadian children. Study participants in the Milk & Yogurt Study were nearly equally split by gender, with 53% born in Canada and 47% born internationally. Most participants held a bachelor’s degree (61.7%) and were students (60.3%). My role involved participant scheduling, dietary and physical activity data collection, saliva and stool sample handling, DXA scanning support, questionnaire administration, and data entry using REDCap. This experience enhanced my skills in data collection, management, and interpretation while strengthening teamwork, communication, and participant engagement competencies.