Milk. It does the body good, but what kind should you opt for? For years now we've been told to lower the fat intake in the dairy we consume. But that advice may need an overhaul, following a study published in the journal Circulation.
In blood analyses of more than 3,000 individuals over 15 years, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian and colleagues found that those drinking full-fat dairy had a lower diabetes risk. The trouble is, fat-free or skim products can be more calorific, and those who avoid full-fat dairy tend to consume more sugar or carbohydrates, leading to insulin spikes and increased chance of diabetes.
And when it comes to weight, while it may seem counter-intuitive, a study of over 18,0000 women in the American Journal of Nutrition found that consuming full-fat dairy actually lowered a woman's chance of being overweight and obese by eight per cent.
Wait, what? One explanation for this is that since full-fat products are more filling, we tend to eat less of those foods.
Fat has long been demonized. However, not all types of fats are created equal.
Nutritionists focus on lowering cholesterol and "unhealthy" fats, yet they do so without increasing sugars and carbs.
Obviously Mozaffarian isn’t suggesting we go out there and guzzle a litre of homogenized milk, but that we simply look at the bigger picture and reframe our perception of full-fat products.
“In the absence of any evidence for the superior effects of low fat dairy, and some evidence that there may be better benefits of whole fat dairy products for diabetes, why are we recommending only low fat diary? We should be telling people to eat a variety of dairy and remove the recommendation about fat content.”
Everything in moderation - except for taste, that is. Now, pass the butter and double cream.
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