There is a longstanding impression that consuming dairy products increases one's risk of cardiovascular disease. Guidelines re-enforce these recommendations. However, in a new study from The Lancet, researchers followed 130,000 people for over nine years and analyzed their risk of having a cardiovascular event. Diet histories were collected on all subjects at the beginning of the study. Consuming more than two servings daily of dairy was associated with a lower risk a major cardiovascular event, compared with no dairy intake. The authors conclude that “Dairy consumption was associated with lower risk of mortality and major cardiovascular disease events in a diverse multinational population” and “ consumption of dairy products should not be discouraged and perhaps should even be encouraged in low-income and middle-income countries where dairy consumption is low.” This study was funded by the dairy industry and it is important to realize that this type of study cannot prove causation, but it continues a trend of studies suggesting that higher fat products are not as nefarious as previously assumed.
Read: The Lancet article
Read: Commentaries in The Lancet
Read: Is there evidence to support low fat diets? These authors say, “No”, but making policy changes is complex, as this commentary reveals.