Dairy Products benefit and risks by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Dairy products are normally defined as foodstuffs produced from milk. Milk used for processing dairy products generally comes from cows, but at times from other mammals such as goats, sheep, or water buffalo.

Heart health
Dairy foods are a major source of saturated fat in the diet, which has been associated with heart disease. Dr. Eva Warensjo of Uppsala University measured blood levels of two biomarkers of milk fat in 444 heart attack patients and 556 healthy controls. The substances, pentadecanoic acid and heptadecanoic acid, indicate how much dairy fat a person has been eating. Dr. Eva Warensjo found that people with the highest levels of milk fat biomarkers, suggesting they consumed the most dairy fat, were actually at lower risk of heart attack. Dairy foods contain a number of potentially beneficial substances, such as calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. The study was funded in part by the National Dairy Council / Dairy Management Inc., a trade group for the US dairy industry. Dr. Eva Warensjo has been a paid speaker for the Swedish Dairy Association and the International Dairy Federation. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010.
    Comments: I know many people who shun dairy products but I think small amounts in the diet are acceptable and may provide health benefits.

Diabetes
Q. I recently attended a seminar conducted by leading doctors and nutritionists and also a video talk by Dr. Neal Barnard, where I learnt that milk and milk products and animal foods are harmful for diabetics (insulin resistance) and general health. I cross checked with another dietitian here in the city & they disagreed with this fact, & went on to tell me that milk & milk products are essential source of protein and calcium and that they are good especially for diabetics because they need to be on proteins and low on carbs. I having learnt the same thing in my study books having studied nutrition but it just contradicts the latest findings after attending the seminar. Could you please help me understand & have the correct knowledge of the query above and its effects and facts and proofs of your opinion?
   A. The key is moderation. These are of benefit as long as they are consumed in moderation.

Dairy and prostate cancer
Dr. Giovannucci is a professor in the departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. He was recently awarded the 2005 DeWitt-Goodman Award for excellence in cancer research from the American Association for Cancer Research. At the symposium, Dr. Giovannucci spoke about evidence linking dairy products with risk for aggressive prostate cancer. Dr. Giovannucci’s research in the Harvard Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, which followed more than 47,000 men for 16 years, found a twofold increased risk for high-grade prostate cancer in men with high calcium intake, mainly from dairy products, compared with those with low calcium intake. Some researchers believed the high-fat dairy products were to blame for this increased risk, but new evidence shows that low-fat dairy products might increase the risk for prostate cancer even more than high-fat products.

Dairy and weight loss
Adults who favor full-fat dairy gain less weight over time. Swedish researchers found that among more than 19,000 middle-aged women, those who had at least one serving of whole milk or cheese each day put on less weight over the next 9 years than women who consumed these foods less often. The potential role of dairy foods in weight control won much attention after some recent studies suggested that milk, yogurt and other dairy foods might help regulate body fat. However, the picture is far from clear, as other research has failed to find that dairy products benefit the waistline. The new findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, are unlikely to clear up the confusion. For one thing, only whole milk, and not low-fat milk, seemed to offer protection against weight gain. For another, the benefit was seen only among women who were normal-weight at the start of the study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2006.

Advertisement
U.S. dairy producers will have to stop promoting the idea that drinking more milk spurs weight loss, the Federal Trade Commission told a physician's advocacy group in May 2007. Calling it a "victory for consumers," the Physicians for Responsible Medicine said two national dairy advertising campaigns overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will stop claiming that dairy products cause weight loss because "such claims are not supported by existing scientific research." Greg Miller, senior vice president for the National Dairy Council, said the industry stands "behind our weight loss messages and the science supporting those messages." "Milk and cheese are more likely to pack on pounds than help people slim down," said Dan Kinburn, Physicians for Responsible Medicine general counsel. "This case calls into question other advertising claims made by the industry, especially the notion that milk builds strong bones. Evidence shows it does nothing of the kind."

Farm milk versus pasteurized milk
Drinking farm milk appears to reduce the risk of asthma and allergy. Children drinking unpasteurized farm milk and eating other farm-related dairy products show the same level of protection against asthma and allergies, regardless of whether they are living on a farm or not. The benefits are greatest when consumption of farm milk begins during the first year of life. However, consumption of raw or unboiled milk is not recommended since raw milk may contain (disease-causing microbes) such as salmonella or Escherichia coli. Farm milk consumption is tied to reduced risks of asthma and allergy. Further studies are needed to identify the properties of farm milk that confer protection against asthma and allergy. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 2007.

Raw milk risk
2007 - A survey of unpasteurized milk samples drawn from dairy farms across Wisconsin found a significant presence of Coxiella burnetii and Listeria monocytogenes, two different types of bacteria that can cause serious infection and even death in some people. These findings have particular relevance for consumers seeking raw milk products.