Regular milk intake reduces heart disease, diabetes, say researchers

NEW study has revealed that drinking three
glasses of milk daily may lead to 18 per cent
decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Also, researchers have discovered that fatty
acid called trans-palmitoleic acid often
found in butter, milk cheese and yogurt can
considerably reduce a person ’s chances of
developing type 2 diabetes.
The research conducted at Wageningen and
Harvard Universities to be published in the
January edition of American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, examined 17 studies from
Europe, USA and Japan, also found no link
between the consumption of regular or
low-fat dairy and any increased risk of
heart disease, stroke or total mortality.
“Milk and dairy are the most nutritious and
healthy foods available and loaded with
naturally occurring nutrients, such as
calcium, potassium and protein, to name a
few, ” said Dr. Cindy Schweitzer, Technical
Director, and Global Dairy Platform. “It’s
about going back to the basics; maintaining
a healthy lifestyle does not have to be a
scientific equation. ”
According to Schweitzer, during the past
three decades as research sought to
understand influencers of cardiovascular
disease, simplified dietary advice including
consuming only low fat dairy products
emerged. However, in 2010 alone, a
significant amount of new research was
published from all over the world,
supporting the health benefits of dairy.
Prof. Dariush Mozaffarian and his team
explained in Annals of Internal Medicine that
trans-palmitoleic acid might be behind
recent studies, which showed that dairy-
rich diets were linked to a lower likelihood
of developing diabetes type, 2 and other
metabolic problems.
Trans-palmitoleic acid is found in dairy fat,
which goes against the advice of a
significant number of health experts who
tell people to avoid full-fat dairy produce.
The investigators from the Harvard School
of Public Health gathered data on 3,736
individuals in the Cardiovascular Health
Study. In this observational study, they had
all been followed-up for 20 years for risk
factors related to cardiovascular disease
among older adults. They also measured
blood glucose and insulin levels, as well as
blood fatty acid levels, including trans-
palmitoleic acid by using stored blood
samples in 1992. The researchers wanted to
find out how many of them went on to
develop diabetes type 2.
They found that at baseline, healthier levels
of blood cholesterol, insulin levels, insulin
sensitivity and inflammatory markers were
linked to higher circulating levels of trans-
palmitoleic acid, even after making
adjustments for other risk factors.
They also found that people whose
circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid
were higher had a considerably lower
chance of developing diabetes. Those in the
top quintile of trans-palmitoleic acid levels
had a 60 per lower risk.
Mozaffarian said: “This type of
observational finding requires confirmation
in additional observational studies and
controlled trials, but the magnitude of this
association is striking. This represents an
almost three-fold difference in risk of
developing diabetes among individuals
with the highest blood levels of this fatty
acid. ”
Trans-palmitoleic acid should not be
confused with industrially produced trans
fats, found in partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils and associated with
cardiovascular disease.
Mozaffarian noted: “There has been no clear
biologic explanation for the lower risk of
diabetes seen with higher dairy
consumption in prior studies. This is the
first time that the relationship of trans-
palmitoleic acid with diabetes risk has been
evaluated. We wonder whether this
naturally occurring trans fatty acid in dairy
fats may partly mimic the normal biologic
role of its cis counterpart, cis-palmitoleic
acid, a fatty acid that is produced in the
body. In animal experiments, cis-palmitoleic
acid protects against diabetes.
“Unfortunately, with modern diets,
synthesis of cis-palmitoleic acid is now
driven by high amounts of carbohydrate
and calories in the diet, which might limit its
normal protective function. We wonder
whether trans-palmitoleic acid may be
stepping in as a “pinch hitter” for at least
some of the functions of cis-palmitoleic
acid. ”