The different life stages give rise to important nutritional challenges some of which are related to increasingly aged populations in many Western societies. There is however, increasing evidence that diets during childhood and adolescence can affect health in later adulthood. For example, undernutrition in childhood can lead to stunted growth, which is associated with reduced cognitive ability and increased risk of chronic diseases and co-morbidities in adulthood. Despite recent worldwide improvements, stunting in sub-Saharan Africa remains about 40% and some countries have an even higher prevalence. Milk is a key food for reducing stunting with milk proteins having a crucial role. In some Western societies recent reductions in milk consumption have led to sub-optimal intakes of calcium and magnesium by teenage females in particular, at a time when bone growth is at its maximum and of iodine during pregnancy needed to ensure that supply/production of thyroid hormones to the fetus is adequate. It is of note that the concentration of some key nutrients, particularly iodine is influenced by the the iodine intake of the dairy cow. Low intakes of calcium is a particular concern since many populations are also of sub-optimal vitamin D status. This may already have had serious consequences in terms of bone development, which may not be apparent until later life. Recent meta-analyses show no evidence of increased risk of cardiovascular diseases from high consumption of milk and dairy foods but increasing evidence of a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes associated with fermented dairy foods, yogurt in particular. The recently updated reports from the World Cancer Research Fund International / American Institute for Cancer Research on the associations between dairy foods and various cancers provide further confidence that total dairy products and milk, are associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer and high intakes of milk/dairy are not associated with increased risk of breast cancer. This session aims to examine the role of dairy foods at key life stages in terms of their ability to moderate chronic disease risk.