Nutrition Policy Institute's (NPI) Lorrene Ritchie and Stanford Medicine Department of Pediatrics' Anisha Patel were awarded $149,545 from the Dairy Council of California to examine the effects of different milk types on young children's health. The pilot study will enroll 30 Northern California families with children 12 months old to receive either whole milk or non-fat milk. The type of milk optimal for the health of young children has not been clearly established. Therefore, the pilot study will examine how different milk types affect children's weight, length, waist circumference, heart health, cognitive development, and gut microbiota. Results from the pilot study will be used to inform a larger, more rigorous randomized control trial involving 500 children. The 14-month project began in March 2021 with NPI's Suzanne Rauzon as the project manager.