September 2011

Should you eliminate dairy from your diet?  Whether dairy products should be part of a healthy diet is hotly debated. You have probably read the claims that dairy is not good for your health.  There are several reports of a variety of health problems caused by dairy products.  But what is the evidence and is dairy right for you?

Certainly for some people, dairy does cause health problems.  Lactose intolerance is fairly common.  Although not dangerous, it usually results in gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating, cramps and diarrhea.  True milk allergy is rare in adults.

But what about for the rest of us who are not lactose intolerant?  The “real food” or “whole food” movements have brought the role of low-fat dairy to prominence, and with good reason.  More people (academics, health professionals, and consumers) are rightly questioning the health benefits of the “low-fat, low calorie” foods.  These foods tend to be heavily processed and contain artificial ingredients.  The wide spread availability of these foods has NOT resulted in a thinner, healthier population!  For these reasons, the whole food movement makes a lot of sense and raises justifiable questions as to whether low-fat dairy should be part of a healthy diet.

The best medical research supports that low-fat dairy can be a part of a healthy diet.  There have been numerous studies on dairy and the effect on our health.  Although not all of the health benefits of dairy are well established, the majority have found that low-fat dairy is associated with less disease and a healthier life.  
Some of the demonstrated health benefits of low-fat dairy include:

    •  Decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
    •  Lower body weight.
    •  Lower risk of metabolic syndrome.
    •  Decreased risk of breast cancer in pre-menopausal women.
    •  Less risk of heart disease.
    •  Less risk of stroke.
    •  Lower blood pressure.
    •  Longer survival.

Some of the demonstrated health concerns of dairy products:

    •  Possible increased risk of prostate cancer.
    •  Allergic reaction to milk.
    •  Lactose intolerance.

How much dairy is right?  Although no ones knows for sure, we agree with the recommendations of the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate which suggests 1-2 servings of dairy per day.

There is a lot of information (and misinformation) available on the health effects of dairy.  Although the final answer is not in, the bulk of the medical research suggests that low-fat dairy can be part of a healthy diet.
 
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