Dairy For Heart Health? Dairy Fat Intake May Not Be So Bad After All

Some people opt for low-fat dairy in their diets for cardiovascular health, but is it the only way to enjoy dairy while keeping our hearts healthy? It may not be the only heart-healthy option, a new study has found.

There are many dietary guidelines that recommend people to limit their dietary fat intake, researchers of a new study, published Tuesday in PLoS, noted. This is to lower people's saturated fat intake and to reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD).

However, there has also been growing evidence that the impact of dairy on health may actually depend on the type of the product itself, and not on the fat content. This "has raised doubts if avoidance of dairy fats is beneficial for cardiovascular health," the researchers noted.

In their new study, the researchers looked at the dairy fat consumption of 4,150 Swedish 60-year-olds. Sweden has among the highest dairy and dairy product consumption in the world, The George Institute for Global Health noted in a news release.

To measure the participants' dairy fat consumption, the researchers used an "objective biomarker" by measuring the blood levels of a particular fatty acid that's mainly found in dairy. This is in contrast to other studies that relied on people's memory of how much and what type of dairy they have consumed, Dr. Matti Marklund of The George Institute for Global Health said in the news release.

For their work, the researchers also gathered data on CVD events and death during a 16.6-year follow-up.

The researchers found that those who had the "highest levels" of the dairy fat biomarker actually had the lowest CVD risk, Dr. Marklund said. They also had "no increased risk of death for all causes," The George Institute for Global Health noted. The findings were supported by the researchers' meta-analysis of 17 other studies that involve nearly 43,000 people in the U.S., U.K. and Denmark.

"Our study suggests that cutting down on dairy fat or avoiding dairy altogether might not be the best choice for heart health," study lead author, Dr. Kathy Trieu of The George Institute for Global Health, said in the news release. "It is important to remember that although dairy foods can be rich in saturated fat, they are also rich in many other nutrients and can be a part of a healthy diet. However, other fats like those found in seafood, nuts, and non-tropical vegetable oils can have greater health benefits than dairy fats."

According to the researchers, more trials and studies are needed to really understand the role that dairy foods play in terms of preventing CVD.

"While some dietary guidelines continue to suggest consumers choose low-fat dairy products, others have moved away from that advice, instead suggesting dairy can be part of a healthy diet with an emphasis on selecting certain dairy foods - for example, yoghurt rather than butter - or avoiding sweetened dairy products that are loaded with added sugar," Dr. Marklund said in the news release. "While the findings may be partly influenced by factors other than dairy fat, our study does not suggest any harm of dairy fat per se."