Dairy Consumption and Metabolic Health.

Claire M Timon,Emma L Feeney,Aileen O’Connor,Nupur Bhargava,Eileen R Gibney

doi:10.3390/nu12103040

Claire M Timon, Emma L Feeney + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12103040

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Oct 3, 2020
Citations: 21	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Dublin City University, University College Dublin

Abstract

Milk and dairy foods are naturally rich sources of a wide range of nutrients, and when consumed according to recommended intakes, contribute essential nutrients across all stages of the life cycle. Seminal studies recommendations with respect to intake of saturated fat have been consistent and clear: limit total fat intake to 30% or less of total dietary energy, with a specific recommendation for intake of saturated fat to less than 10% of total dietary energy. However, recent work has re-opened the debate on intake of saturated fat in particular, with suggestions that recommended intakes be considered not at a total fat intake within the diet, but at a food-specific level. A large body of evidence exists examining the impact of dairy consumption on markers of metabolic health, both at a total-dairy-intake level and also at a food-item level, with mixed findings to date. However the evidence suggests that the impact of saturated fat intake on health differs both across food groups and even between foods within the same food group such as dairy. The range of nutrients and bioactive components in milk and dairy foods are found in different levels and are housed within very different food structures. The interaction of the overall food structure and the nutrients describes the concept of the ‘food matrix effect’ which has been well-documented for dairy foods. Studies show that nutrients from different dairy food sources can have different effects on health and for this reason, they should be considered individually rather than grouped as a single food category in epidemiological research. This narrative review examines the current evidence, mainly from randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses, with respect to dairy, milk, yoghurt and cheese on aspects of metabolic health, and summarises some of the potential mechanisms for these findings.

Highlights

UCD Institute of Food and Health, University College Dublin, Belfield, 4 Dublin, Ireland; School of Agriculture and Food Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, 4 Dublin, Ireland
Fontecha and colleagues [45] examined evidence regarding the influence of dairy product consumption on the risk of major cardiovascular-related outcomes and how various doses of different dairy products affected such responses. In this overview of 12 meta-analyses involving randomised controlled trials (RCTs), as well as the updated meta-analyses of RCTs, increasing consumption of dairy products did not result in significant changes of known risk biomarkers such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure and total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol
This study found that a stepwise-matrix effect was observed between the groups for total cholesterol (TC) (P = 0.033) and LDL cholesterol (P = 0.026), with significantly lower post-intervention TC and LDL cholesterol when all of the fat was contained within the cheese matrix (Group A), compared with Group C when it was not

Summary

Contribution of Dairy to a Balanced Diet

Milk and dairy foods are naturally rich sources of a wide range of nutrients such as proteins, fats, oligosaccharides and micronutrients including vitamins A, D, E and K and Ca, Mg, P and Zn [1],. Dairy products can be an important means of have indicated that the consumption of milk and milk products during adolescence is associated providing adequate calcium and other key nutrients in the diet [15]. Dairy products can be an studies suggests that moderate milk consumption compared to none or low intakes during pregnancy important means of providing adequate calcium and other key nutrients in the diet [15]. Evidence is positively associated with foetalsuggests growth and birth weight in healthy, Westernto populations from prospective cohort studies that infant moderate milk consumption compared none or low[16]. Several pointistopositively the benefits of milkwith and foetal dairy growth products in infant diets of theweight elderlyinand intakes duringstudies pregnancy associated and birth highlight that, in combination with physical activity, milk and dairy products can improve muscle healthy, Western populations [16]. Much work in this area is underway, which is summarised below

Dairy Fat and the Link to Health

Main Findings

Cheese

Yoghurt

The ‘Dairy Matrix’