Higher dairy fat intake may be related to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. This, according to new research suggesting that choosing whole dairy options is no worse for your heart health.
Diet rich in dairy fats; cheese, yogurt and milk
The study, by an international team of experts, challenges the view that whole dairy products. Like cheese, yogurt, and milk, they should be avoided due to their high saturated fat content.
The researchers evaluated the dairy fat intake of 4,150 60-year-old Swedes. Measuring the blood concentration of certain fatty acids found in dairy products.
They followed the participants for an average of 16.6 years, recording how many died or had heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular conditions.
Risk of cardiovascular disease was lowest for participants who had high levels of dairy fatty acids
The risk of cardiovascular disease was lowest for the participants who had high levels of dairy fatty acids. The researchers also found that higher milk fat intake was not associated with an increased risk of death.
Lead author Dr. Kathy Trieu of the George Institute for Global Health said that fat intake and its link to heart health were more complex than previously thought.
“There is increasing evidence showing that the type of dietary fat, or the source of dietary fat, is actually more important than the amount of fat,” he said.
Products with added sugar or sodium should be avoided
“When we select dairy products to buy, it is less important to select the low-fat option,” Trieu said. And he cautioned consumers instead to avoid products with added sugar or sodium. “A very clear example of that is: it is better to select plain yogurt instead of low-fat flavored yogurt.”
The researchers said the use of biomarkers as a substitute for dairy fat intake. It was more reliable than relying on people to accurately self-report their eating habits. But the biomarkers were unable to distinguish what types of dairy products were consumed and whether they had different effects.
Cheese has previously been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease
Cheese consumption, for example, has previously been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, while a large US study published in April has linked butter intake to an increased risk of mortality.
“Cheeses include vitamin K, and these may be linked to cardioprotective benefits,” Trieu said, adding that more research is needed to understand the link between dairy and heart health.
In addition to the analysis in Sweden, where dairy consumption is among the highest globally, the researchers conducted a meta-analysis that included 17 other studies, involving almost 43,000 people in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Denmark. .
That broader analysis also linked higher dairy fat intake with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Trieu said the findings were widely applicable to countries with a Western pattern diet, such as Australia. But the researchers also suggested that “extrapolation of the findings to other ethnic groups should be done with caution,” since the vast majority of the 60-year-olds who followed were born in Sweden or Finland.
A great 2018 study, conducted primarily in 21 low- and middle-income countries, similarly found that consuming dairy products can protect against heart disease and stroke.
A limitation of the Swedish study was that the participants’ blood biomarkers were only measured once, at the beginning of the research. This reflects your dietary fat intake at a specific time.
“In general, we hope that the diet does not change as much,” said Trieu, acknowledging that dairy consumption habits could have fluctuated during the study period.
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