In a new study from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere, researchers found that people with higher intakes of dairy fat—measured by levels of fatty acids in the blood—had a lower risk of heart disease compared to those with low intakes.
Higher intakes of dairy fat were not linked to an increased risk of death.
Dairy and dairy product consumption in Sweden is among the highest worldwide.
In the study, the team examined dairy fat consumption in 4150 Swedish 60-year-olds by measuring blood levels of a particular fatty acid that is mainly found in dairy foods and therefore can be used to reflect the intake of dairy fat.
They were then followed up for an average of 16 years to see how many had heart attacks, strokes and other serious circulatory events, and how many died from any cause during this time.
The team found the risk was lowest for those with high levels of fatty acid (reflecting high intake of dairy fats). Those with the highest levels had no increased risk of death from all causes.
The findings highlight the uncertainty of evidence in this area, which is reflected in dietary guidelines.
While some dietary guidelines continue to suggest consumers choose low-fat dairy products, others have moved away from that advice, instead suggesting dairy can be part of a healthy diet with an emphasis on selecting certain dairy foods—for example, yogurt rather than butter—or avoiding sweetened dairy products that are loaded with added sugar.
The team says that consumption of some dairy foods, especially fermented products, have previously been linked to benefits for the heart.
This study suggests that cutting down on dairy fat or avoiding dairy altogether might not be the best choice for heart health.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about even slightly higher blood pressure can increase your heart disease risk and findings of how to control your cholesterol effectively to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
For more information about heart disease, please see recent studies about common high blood pressure drugs may increase risk of this heart disease and results showing that these 2 dietary supplements may prevent heart disease, stroke effectively.
The study is published in PLoS Medicine. One author of the study is Dr. Matti Marklund.
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