Abstract P065: The Amount and Type of Dairy Product Intake and the Risk of Incident Type 2 Diabetes: Results from the EPIC-InterAct Study

Abstract

Background: Dairy product intake may be inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes, but the evidence is inconclusive for total dairy products and sparse for types of dairy products. Objective: To investigate the prospective association with incidence of type 2 diabetes of total dairy products, and different dairy sub-types in populations with marked variation of intake of these food groups. Design: A nested case-cohort within 8 European countries of the EPIC Study (n=340,234; 3.99 million person-years of follow-up) included a random subcohort (n=16,835) and incident diabetes cases (n=12,403). Baseline dairy product intake was assessed using dietary questionnaires. Country-specific Prentice-weighted Cox regression hazard ratios (HR) were calculated and pooled using random effects meta-analysis. Results: Intake of total dairy products was not related to diabetes risk; HR comparing highest versus lowest quintile of total dairy products was 1.05 (95%CI: 0.91, 1.21; P-trend 0.76) in age, sex, BMI, diabetes risk factors, education and dietary factors adjusted analysis. Among dairy subtypes, an inverse association with cheese intake was present [HR 0.85 (95%CI: 0.72, 1.00); P-trend 0.01], but not with other dairy subtypes. A higher combined intake of fermented dairy products (cheese, yogurt, thick fermented milk) was inversely related to diabetes risk [HR 0.85 (0.75, 0.96), P-trend 0.01]. Conclusion: This large prospective study found no association between total dairy products and diabetes risk. The inverse association of cheese intake and combined fermented dairy product intake with diabetes risk is potentially important and merits further study.