Whole-Milk Dairy Foods: Biological Mechanisms Underlying Beneficial Effects on Risk Markers for Cardiometabolic Health

Lifestyle modifications that include adherence to healthy dietary patterns that are low in saturated fat have been associated with reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death globally. Whole-milk dairy foods, including milk, cheese, and yogurt, are leading sources of saturated fat in the diet. Dietary guidelines around the world recommend the consumption of low-fat and fat-free dairy foods to obtain overall healthy dietary patterns that help meet nutrient recommendations while keeping within recommended calorie and saturated fat limitations. A body of observational and clinical evidence indicates, however, that whole-milk dairy food consumption, despite saturated fat content, does not increase the risk for cardiovascular disease. This review describes the proposed biological mechanisms underlying inverse associations between whole-milk dairy food consumption and risk markers for cardiometabolic health, such as altered lipid digestion, absorption, and metabolism; influence on the gut microflora; and regulation of oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. The dairy food matrix, a term used to describe how the macronutrients and micronutrients and other bioactive components of dairy foods are differentially packaged and compartmentalized among fluid milk, cheese, and yogurt, may dictate how each affects cardiovascular risk. Current evidence indicates consideration of dairy foods as complex food matrices, rather than delivery systems for isolated nutrients, such as saturated fatty acids, is warranted.

Dietary Fat and Risk for Type 2 Diabetes: a Review of Recent Research

Purpose of Review

It is estimated that over 400 million people worldwide are living with diabetes. Excess adiposity is the strongest risk factor for non-insulin-dependent diabetes, type 2. Lifestyle interventions have demonstrated that diet plays a critical role in preventing the onset of type 2 diabetes. Dietary fat is not only a source of energy and nutrients, but also bioactive fatty acids.

The purpose of this review was to examine data from recent prospective cohort studies and dietary interventions to determine if there are benefits to fat consumption on diabetes risk.

Recent Findings

The consumption of fish and marine n-3 fatty acids among Asian populations and regular-fat dairy foods and trans-palmitoleic acid (trans-16, n-7) among Western populations may be associated with reduced risk for type 2 diabetes.

Summary

Whereas some dietary fat may contribute to reduced diabetes risk, lifestyle recommendations to balance calories with physical activity are prudent at this time.

Regular-Fat Dairy and Human Health: A Synopsis of Symposia Presented in Europe and North America (2014-2015)

In recent history, some dietary recommendations have treated dairy fat as an unnecessary source of calories and saturated fat in the human diet. These assumptions, however, have recently been brought into question by current research on regular fat dairy products and human health. In an effort to disseminate, explore and discuss the state of the science on the relationship between regular fat dairy products and health, symposia were programmed by dairy industry organizations in Europe and North America at The Eurofed Lipids Congress (2014) in France, The Dairy Nutrition Annual Symposium (2014) in Canada, The American Society for Nutrition Annual Meeting held in conjunction with Experimental Biology (2015) in the United States, and The Federation of European Nutrition Societies (2015) in Germany. This synopsis of these symposia describes the complexity of dairy fat and the effects regular-fat dairy foods have on human health. The emerging scientific evidence indicates that the consumption of regular fat dairy foods is not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and inversely associated with weight gain and the risk of obesity. Dairy foods, including regular-fat milk, cheese and yogurt, can be important components of an overall healthy dietary pattern. Systematic examination of the effects of dietary patterns that include regular-fat milk, cheese and yogurt on human health is warranted.

Insights and perspectives on dietary modifications to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease

This article summarizes presentations from “Insights and Perspectives on Dietary Modifications to Reduce the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease,” a symposium held at the ASN Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions in conjunction with Experimental Biology 2014 in San Diego, CA on 26 April 2014. Presenters reviewed historic and current evidence on the relation between diet and cardiovascular disease (CVD) to identify gaps in knowledge, discuss the promises and pitfalls of macronutrient replacement strategies in the diet, and suggest various options for issuing dietary guidance aimed at reducing the burden of CVD morbidity and mortality. Observational studies and clinical trials indicate that overall diet quality have a marked impact on health benefits, which is shifting the emphasis on recommending healthful dietary patterns to focusing only on single nutrients or foods.