A full-fat dairy diet may have more benefits than we thought, especially if you have diabetes or heart problem. A large multinational observational study, published in the journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, found that dairy consumption may lower your risks for diabetes and hypertension as well as other factors that increase risks for cardiovascular diseases. Interestingly, the strongest results were obtained from full-fat dairy products. [1]
Butter and cheese may have more going for them than just the delicious flavor. Photo Caption: Shutterstock
For this multinational research, the authors picked their data from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study. It covered 21 nations from five continents. The participant ages ranged from 35 years to 70 years. The team assessed the participant diet for the previous 12 months through questionnaires. Dairy products that were considered included yogurt, milk, cheese, and foods prepared with dairy products. These were classified as full or low fat.
The team found that a higher intake of dairy, when compared to zero consumption, was linked to a 24 percent lower risk of metabolic syndromes, conditions that increase the risk of diabetes, heart diseases, and strokes. Higher intake was measured at at least two servings a day. The benefits increased further to 28 percent when the consumption was just full-fat dairy. Full-fat dairy in combination with low-fat dairy also showed positive results. However, the consumption of low-fat dairy alone did not show any such associations.
