Milk can save us from heart disease and strokes

Dairy products: Healthy or unhealthy?

Dairy products like cheese and milk have a bad reputation because of the saturated fat they contain. But a large new study suggests that they can actually protect against heart disease and strokes in moderation.

McMaster University researchers have found in their current research that dairy products such as cheese and milk can help protect against heart disease and strokes. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "The Lancet".

Milk can protect the heart

The study was conducted mainly in low- and middle-income countries, which generally consume fewer dairy products. Nevertheless, the results may also be important for people in more prosperous countries, where people often think they should avoid consuming milk. A moderate amount of milk, three servings a day, can protect the heart rather than hurting it, says study author Dr. Mahshid Dehghan from McMaster University in Canada.

What is included in dairy products?

The results should motivate people with very low milk consumption to increase their consumption. Especially in low- and middle-income countries, but also in very high-income countries, the expert adds. Concern about dairy products stems from the recognition that saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol associated with heart disease. However, dairy products also contain nutrients that are healthy for humans, including certain amino acids, unsaturated fats, vitamins K1 and K2, calcium, magnesium and potassium.

The crowd makes the difference

However, it is not advisable to consume more than moderate amounts of milk and dairy products, say the authors. Overeating is just as much a problem as malnutrition. Saturated fat foods are very high in calories, which can lead to obesity and serious sequelae. The experts do not want to encourage people to increase their consumption if they already eat six to seven servings per day. There will be more moderate consumption. One serving is in this case a 244g glass of milk or yoghurt, a 15g slice of cheese or a teaspoon of butter.

More than 135,000 subjects were examined

The study looked at more than 135,000 people in 21 countries around the world, from Canada and Sweden to Brazil, Bangladesh and Tanzania. The weakness of the study is that it is based on questionnaires on food frequency. Participants were asked to tell how often they consumed different dairy products. Subjects were then divided into high, medium and low intake categories. The participants were medically monitored for a period of approximately nine years.

Butter has no protective effect

It turned out that people who consumed three servings of milk, cheese or yoghurt a day had lower rates of cardiovascular disease and a lower mortality than those who ingested fewer such products. Butter was not considered protective, but most people ate so little butter that the effect was not significant.

What effect does saturated fat have on your health??

Several scientists have already agreed that there is more and more evidence that dairy products are beneficial to health. It is important to have information about a healthy lifestyle and healthy foods, not just individual nutrients that are consumed, the researchers say. The findings support other evidence that there is no association between normal consumption of saturated fat and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Foods that provide fat can have a significant impact. The results of this study suggest that saturated fat from whole milk, yoghurt, and hard cheese has very limited impact, if it has any effect on cardiovascular risk at all, say the experts.

Should better lower fat dairy be consumed?

The key question of whether to consume low-fat or low-fat dairy products is not fully answered by this research due to the low intake of low-fat dairy products in much of the world except Europe and North America, say the doctors. (As)