Study Investigates Role of Dairy in Preventing Hypertension and Diabetes

Sep, 2020 - By SMI

A recent study has found that risk of diabetes and high blood pressure can be reduced by consuming higher amount of full fat dairy products.

Researchers analysed data of over 150,000 participants from 21 countries in Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and North America in the age group of 35 to 70 years. The team studied the participants’ eating patterns with the help of questionnaires and measured the number times items from a specific list were consumed over an average of 9 years. Dairy products such as cheese, yogurt, and milk were frequently consumed, whereas cream and butter were not as common and hence were excluded from the list. The products were also categorized as whole fat (whole milk) and low fat (skimmed milk). Medical history of the participants such as blood pressure, BMI, blood glucose levels, medical prescriptions etc. were considered.

The results showed that 179 gm of dairy was consumed each day on an average. That’s slightly less than a cup of yogurt or milk. Furthermore, the study group in Europe, North America and Latin America consumed more dairy compared to Africa and Asia Pacific. The team analysed the association between the aforementioned factors and found that two servings of dairy in a day is linked with 25% lesser risk of suffering from metabolic syndrome, compared to not consuming any dairy products in a day. Two servings of whole fat dairy products lowered the risk by 28%.

According to chief investigator, Andrew Mente, dairy products offer high quality protein in addition to a range of minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and zinc, as well as and vitamins such as riboflavin, vitamin B-12, and vitamin A.