Are low-fat dairy products really healthier?
Scan the dairy box at any supermarket and you’ll find rows upon rows of products with varying fat contents. Fat-free, low-fat, whole: what is the healthiest option?
If you have the US Dietary Guidelines or health authorities such as the American Heart Association or the World Health Organisationthe answer is clear: choose a fat-free or low-fat version.
This recommendation stems from the idea that full-fat dairy products are high in saturated fats, so choosing lower-fat versions can reduce the risk of heart disease, said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at Tufts University.
But that guideline goes back to 1980, when the first edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans was published, he said. And since then, most studies on the health effects of dairy fat have failed to find any benefit in prioritizing low-fat versions over the whole, said Dr. Mozaffarian.
What seems more important than fat content, he added, is which dairy product you choose in the first place.
What the research suggests
In studies that asked people about their diets and then tracked their health over many years, researchers have found links between dairy consumption and lower risks of certain conditions, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease And Type 2 diabetessaid dr. Mozaffarian.
Such benefits, he added, were often present regardless of whether people chose low-fat or full-fat yogurt, cheese or milk. And although full-fat dairy products contain more calories, studies have found that those who consume them are not more likely to gain weight.
In one study published in 2018For example, researchers followed 136,000 adults from 21 countries for nine years. They found that those who consumed two or more servings of dairy per day during the study period were 22 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease and 17 percent less likely to die than those who did not consume dairy at all. Notably, those who consumed higher levels of saturated fat from dairy were not more likely to develop heart disease or die.
In another great analysis also published in 2018researchers collected results from 16 studies involving more than 63,000 adults. They found that over an average period of nine years, those with higher levels of dairy fats in their blood were 29 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those with lower levels.
This finding suggests that consuming dairy fat may provide a benefit rather than avoiding it, said Dr. Mozaffarian.
Of course, these studies cannot prove that dairy products themselves reduce certain disease risks. That would require long-term clinical trials, which have not yet been conducted, Dr. Mozaffarian said. But shorter term trials have shown that consuming dairy products, including full-fat dairylowered participants’ blood pressure and did not increase weight or increase levels of LDL, or “bad cholesterol” – again suggesting that dairy fat is not harmful to heart health.
Why dairy fats can be good for you
There are several possible explanations why dairy fats may not be as harmful as previously thought — and may even be healthy, said Dr. Ronald Krauss, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
Of the different types of saturated fats that can be found in foods, dairy products contain certain types that appear to be neutral or beneficial to health, said Dr. Krauss, including those associated with reduced risks of Type 2 diabetes And coronary artery disease.
Milk fat is also naturally packaged in a unique structure called the milk fat globule membrane, says Marie-Caroline Michalski, research director at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. Parts of this structure may help bind cholesterol in the digestive tract, possibly an improvement in cholesterol levels in the blood.
It is also becoming clear that certain types of dairy products can be better for you than others, said Dr. Michalsky.
Yogurt And cheesefor example, appear to be most associated with health benefits. This may be because both are fermented foods, said Dr. Michalski, which can supply good bacteria to your intestines. They also include others useful molecules made during fermentation, including vitamin K, which is linked to heart healthsaid dr. Mozaffarian.
Harder cheeses such as Cheddar and Parmesan also seem to yield more gradual absorption of fats into the blood than softer cheeses and butter, which can help you feel full longer, said Dr. Michalsky.
Advice for the dairy aisle
Penny Kris-Etherton, professor emeritus of nutritional sciences at Pennsylvania State University, said an independent panel of nutrition experts is currently assessing the proof about how saturated fat consumption affects the risk of cardiovascular disease. And that could lead to upcoming changes in dairy food recommendations in the United States, she said.
Until then, she thinks it’s best to aim for three servings of dairy per day as part of a balanced diet, as recommended by current dietary guidelines. However, based on the most recent data on dairy fat, it’s probably OK if one or two of those servings are whole milk, yogurt or cheese, she said, noting that more than that could provide too many calories.
Dr. Mozaffarian suggests adding at least one or two servings of yogurt and cheese per day, given the health benefits of these foods – preferably unsweetened versions to avoid added sugars.
As for what fat content to go for, “choose whatever you want,” said Dr. Mozaffarian. Some studies suggest there may be a benefit to consuming full-fat dairy products, “but I don’t think the evidence is compelling enough yet to make that a dietary recommendation,” he added.
Dr. Michalski prefers to eat pure, full-fat yogurt; if you remove the natural fats, you lose some vitamins, such as vitamins A and D, as well as the “pleasure” and good texture, she said.
Instead of butter, Dr. Kris-Etherton recommends people use vegetable oils such as olive oil, canola or soybean oil, or margarines made from the same oils.
Butter and cream seem to rise cholesterol levels in the blood more than other sources of dairy fat, said Dr. Krauss, and he recommends limiting them if you have high cholesterol.
And while there’s no good evidence that low-fat dairy products are a healthier choice for everyone, Dr. Krauss says, people respond differently to different foods. If you have high blood cholesterol, he added, it’s worth discussing your dairy choices with your doctor.