Whole-Fat Dairy: Lowers Risk of Diabetes and High Blood Pressure

Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure have been on the rise in the US. There are about 34 million people have diabetes. Almost half of the US population has high blood pressure. 

Research showed that dairy products could help lower blood pressure. Studies show that you could have a lower risk of diabetes when you include more dairy in your diet. Subjects of the research were from Europe and North America, so this shows a limited result. 

(Photo: unsplash/Mehrshad Rajabi)

Whole-fat dairy lowers the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure

A new study gathered data from 150,000 people. The researchers found that increased dairy intake, specifically whole fat, and helps lower the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. The study also found that high intake of whole-fat dairy products could lower rates of metabolic syndrome. 

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They gathered data from 147,812 people with the age range from 35 to 70. The subjects were from 21 countries from Asia, North and South America, Africa, and Europe. Over a year, the researchers used questionnaires to know the food intake of the subjects. 

The subjects noted the number of times they ate a specific item from a list for nine years. Milk, cheese, yogurt, and dishes prepared with dairy are listed. The researchers classified the dairy products into whole-fat or low fat. 

They also considered the medical history, education, waist circumference, blood pressure, and fat and glucose levels in the blood. On average, people ate 179 grams of dairy every day. 

People from Asia and Africa ate less dairy on average than those from Europe, North and South America. People from Europe and North America preferred low-fat dairy products than the other regions. 

Two servings of dairy decreased metabolic syndrome risk

The team studied the link between dairy intake and metabolic syndrome. They found that at least two dairy servings per day were linked with a decreased risk of metabolic syndrome by 24 percent. 

Two servings of whole fat dairy could lower the risk of metabolic syndrome by 28 percent. Having the low-fat version gave no reduction in metabolic syndrome risk. 

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Two servings of dairy decreased diabetes and high blood pressure risk

The results also showed that there is an 11 to 12 percent decrease in the risk of both diabetes and high blood pressure. This is noted when the subjects took at least two servings of any dairy product every day. The team found that those who consumed whole-fat dairy had stronger associations. 

A principal investigator at the Population Health Research Institute in Hamilton, Ontario, Andrew Mente, Ph.D., concluded that a higher intake of whole-fat dairy is linked with a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome and lower risk of developing diabetes and hypertension. 

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Dairy products provide vitamins and minerals

He also said that dairy products have a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals. These include high-quality protein, calcium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins A, B12, and riboflavin. 

The researchers concluded that the consumption of dairy products could help reduce rates of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and high blood pressure worldwide at a feasible and low-cost.