The low-fat dairy rule gets a rethink in a new study
For decades, people have been encouraged to choose low-fat dairy over full-fat options. Now, a new study suggests that three daily servings of full-fat dairy can be part of a healthy diet without causing weight gain or worsening cholesterol levels, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The 12-week study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, involved 74 adults aged 25 to 60 with overweight or obesity. Researchers compared 3 groups: one followed a calorie-restricted diet with little low-fat dairy, another added three servings of full-fat dairy while cutting 500 calories elsewhere, and a third ate three servings of full-fat dairy without restricting calories.
Participants who ate three servings of full-fat dairy without restricting calories did not experience a significant increase in body weight or body mass index over the 12 weeks. Their waist size, body fat and blood cholesterol also showed no significant changes.
By comparison, people on the calorie-restricted, low-dairy diet lost weight and had a lower body mass index. This means the study did not show that full-fat dairy helps people lose weight. Rather, it found that adding it to a healthy eating pattern did not lead to the weight gain researchers might have expected.
There were also some positive changes among the full-fat dairy consumers. The group that ate three servings a day without calorie restrictions had a small reduction in hip circumference and lower systolic blood pressure by the end of the study. Their diets also provided more protein and calcium.
The researchers concluded that three daily servings of full-fat dairy can fit into a healthy diet without increasing body weight, body fat or blood cholesterol over the 12-week period. But they also noted that research on the longer-term effects of regular full-fat dairy consumption remains limited.
So the message is not that full-fat dairy is suddenly a weight-loss food. It is that the old assumption that full-fat dairy must be avoided to prevent weight gain may be too simple.
The study was supported by Dairy Research Cluster 3, funded by Dairy Farmers of Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and by the Mitacs Accelerate program.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported on research linking coffee consumption with healthier aging and a lower risk of chronic disease.
