Even high-fat dairy products may be good for you – WebMD

TUESDAY, Sept. 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) – A new study suggests that dairy foods may help you improve your heart health, even if you drink whole milk and eat rich cheeses.

The study could not prove the cause and effect, but people who ate three servings of dairy products a day had a lower risk of death during the period of time. study that people who did not eat dairy products. The researchers found that the risk of stroke and death from heart disease was also lower.

The benefit was linked to both low-fat and whole-fat dairy products, said lead researcher Mahshid Dehghan. She is a researcher in epidemiology of nutrition at the Institute for Population Health Research at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

Based on the findings, she concludes that "up to three servings of dairy products a day reduce the risk of death and cardiovascular disease, regardless of fat".

According to the study, a standard serving of dairy products equals about 8 ounces of milk or yogurt, a half ounce of cheese or a teaspoon of butter.

The research has received no funding from the dairy industry.

Despite new discoveries, the American Heart Association urges people to stick to low-fat dairy products, said spokeswoman Jo Ann Carson, professor of clinical nutrition at Southwestern Medical Center at the University of Texas at Dallas.

"We generally know that more saturated fats increase your LDL cholesterol levels, and it's the number one risk factor for heart disease, especially in the United States," Carson said.

Dehghan noted that some people avoid dairy products because of their saturated fat content because fats contain more calories and saturated fats have been associated with "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.

But in doing so, they lack other important nutrients that dairy products provide, such as amino acids, vitamins and minerals, she added.

"Dairy products contain a range of potentially beneficial compounds," said Dehghan. "We suggest that the net effect of dairy consumption on health outcomes is more important than looking at just one nutrient."

To study the impact of milk products on heart health, researchers looked at data from more than 136,000 people aged 35 to 70 in 21 countries. People completed a food questionnaire at the beginning of the study and were followed for an average of nine years.