Full-fat Dairy Is Good After All!

Moneylife Digital Team 13 July 2018

Life

Slowly, but surely, nutritional orthodoxy of the past few decades is being discredited in favour of age-old choices. According to new research by the University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston) (UTHealth), enjoying full-fat milk, yogurt, cheese and butter is good, after all! The study, published on 11 July 2018 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found no significant link between dairy fats and heart disease and stroke, often associated with high intake of saturated fat. It may be remembered that coconut oil is another item high in saturated fat, which used to be demonised once, but is now lauded as a super-food.

According to the study, certain types of dairy fat may help guard against a severe stroke. According to Marcia Otto the study's first and corresponding author and assistant professor in the department of epidemiology, human genetics and environmental sciences at UTHealth School of Public Health, “Our findings not only support, but also significantly strengthen, the growing body of evidence which suggests that dairy fat, contrary to popular belief, does not increase risk of heart disease or overall mortality in older adults. In addition to not contributing to death, the results suggest that one fatty acid present in dairy may lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, particularly from stroke.”

The study evaluated the link between fatty acid present in dairy and heart disease and related it over a 22-year period. For the study, about 3,000 adults of 65 years and older, who had three types of fatty acids, were tested at the beginning in 1992 and again after six years and 13 years. This methodology, as opposed to the self-reported consumption, which is more common, gave a better insight into the long-term exposure to these fatty acids, according to the report. None of the fatty acid types was associated with total mortality in a statistically significant way. One type of fatty acid was linked to lower cardiovascular disease deaths! People, who consumed more whole-fat dairy products, had a 42% lower risk of dying from stroke.

All this undermines the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (copied in many parts of the worlds) which recommends serving fat-free or low-fat dairy, including milk, cheese, yogurt, and/or fortified soy beverages. What nutritionists and doctors are unaware of, or don’t care about, is that low-fat dairy foods, often, include added sugars which may affect cardiovascular and metabolic health.

Whole-fat dairy foods are rich sources of calcium and potassium which are essential for health. Dr Otto said: “Consumers have been exposed to so much different and conflicting information about diet, particularly in relation to fats, that it is important to have robust studies, so people can make more balanced and informed choices based on scientific fact rather than hearsay.”

Comments

User

Anindya Bhattacharya

7 years ago

It is interesting to note that no doctor reader has participated in the discussion. I request Mr. Debashis Basu to publish follow ups on this topic from experts. Let us have more perspectives from experts. The quest is important and ongoing questioning of the facts ( so called) known to us need to be challenged continuously without bias.
I congratulate Moneylife to bring in the topic into discussion. Can we get more authentic / research based facts directly from published papers avoiding data from You tube / other internet sources who never take responsibility of published data?

Saravanan R

7 years ago

It is silly for Mr. Anand Vaidya to instigate the fight here. If at all, it should be challenged with University of Texas Health Science Center (Houston) (UTHealth). ML Digital team has not done the said research

Anand Vaidya

7 years ago

ML Digital team, hear this "People like to hear good news about their bad habits"
Also remember that many "studies" are biased, lack data or objectivity, have statistical and method errors - even those conducted by US/EU universities.
Many jump to wrong conclusions, especially those funded by Dairy/Meat/Egg industry in the west.
Milk of cows is designed for calves. Milk of another species is unnecessary for human health. Milk is full of sat-fats, anti-biotics, white blood cells (yeah, pus cells) and IGF-1 which is the precursor to various cancers. Cow's milk's role in Type-1 Diabetes is well documented.
Cheese is good? What next? Cigarettes are healthy?

PLEASE DON'T SPREAD SUCH WRONG MESSAGES.

Debashis Basu

Replied to Anand Vaidya comment 7 years ago

It would do no good to cling on to orthodox beliefs which have now been scientifically discredited. You need to educate yourself with facts. Start with this book https://www.amazon.in/Eat-Fat-Thin-Mark-Hyman/dp/1473631149/ref=sr_1_1?s=prime-day&ie=UTF8&qid=1531739947&sr=8-1&keywords=eat+fat+get+thin and follow people like Dr Aseem Malhotra, UK's top cardiologist, on twitter

Parthasarathy J