Dairy a heterogeneous food group
“These results are not really surprising, because we have been hearing advice to consume low-fat milk, avoid whole milk, and so on, for a long time, so this study confirms what we already know,” Qi Sun, MD, ScD, associate professor in the departments of nutrition and epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, told this news organization.
“However, I would be more specific about milk, and I don’t see any data regarding the fat content of the different types of milk. Their data only show the association for total milk. I would like to see data for low-fat milk versus high-fat milk in relation to heart disease,” Dr. Sun said.
“They also say in their conclusion that cheese was associated with a decreased risk of acute myocardial infarction, but as the hazard ratio shows, this is a nonsignificant association,” he said.
Dr. Sun agrees that dairy is a heterogeneous group of foods and that it is best to consider each type separately with regard to cardiovascular health.
“For example, heavy cream contains tons of saturated fat, butter contains a lot of saturated fat. Then there is yogurt, which also comes in regular, reduced-fat and low-fat varieties, which is a fantastic food. I would say it’s very healthy and is associated with a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, so a good type of dairy. Yogurt and fermented dairy products should be beneficial, at least more so than full-fat milk or butter. I think butter and full-fat milk are still the primary dairy foods for people to avoid to reduce risk for cardiovascular disease,” he said.
Dr. Lysne and Dr. Sun have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.