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Eating Dairy and
Heart Health:
The Low-Fat vs Full-Fat Debate
By Fiona Young-Brown
We’ve all grown up being told that
low-fat or no-fat is best. Fat is bad. It
makes us fat. It raises our cholesterol. It
causes heart attacks.
But despite a huge increase in people
eating low-fat or no-fat products, obesity
is up, cholesterol is up, and heart disease
is the number one killer in the nation.
And now we’re being told that some fats
are good for us. So where does that leave
dairy?
Many diets will tell you to avoid
dairy altogether, or to continue enjoying ONLY low-fat products. Even the
American Heart Association recommends only low-fat or no-fat dairy
products.
However, an increasing amount of
new research is suggesting that what
we’ve come to believe about dairy fats
may be wrong.
In February, 2014, National Public
Radio ran a story citing two new studies
that conclude the consumption of full-fat
dairy is linked to weight loss. The first
study, carried out by Swedish researchers
over a 12-year period, found that men
who ate full-fat milk, butter, and cream,
were much less likely to become obese
than their counterparts who didn’t eat
full-fat dairy. A second study, more accurately an analysis of 16 smaller studies,
noted that there is little evidence to support the idea that full-fat dairy products
lead to heart disease. In fact, they argued,
some evidence indicated the opposite.
Since then other doctors have come
forward to claim that butter, cream, and
cheese, even with their supposedly bad
saturated fat content, are actually good
for us, preventing weight gain, helping
with proper neurological functioning,
and improving heart health. And yet
another study, this time in children,
found that increased consumption of
low-fat dairy, led to greater weight gain.
Confused yet? Don’t worry; you’re
not alone.
The question that still baffles the
scientists and researchers behind these
findings is why high-fat dairy, filled with
saturated fat, seems to run contrary to
the conventional medical opinion of the
past several decades. Some argue that
it provides better satisfaction; eating a
creamy piece of Brie or a rich yogurt
makes us feel fuller and therefore we
eat less than if we have the piece of less
satisfying, low-fat cheese.
Others believe the answer may be
much more complex. Could certain
enzymes and substances within milk fat
work in our bodies to metabolize the
fat rather than store it? Further research
needs to be done, before we can know
for sure.
So where does this leave us?
If you already have high cholesterol,
going out to binge on your favorite
cheese is still not a good idea. However,
if you have healthy levels, don’t feel
guilty about enjoying butter or cheese
in moderation. But do pay attention
to the dairy products you are eating.
Whether you choose full-fat or lowfat, try to avoid conventional products which are often full of artificial
hormones; instead choose organic
products from antibiotic-free, grass-fed
cows. These products have the added
benefit of containing higher levels of
heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
In finishing, it seems only right to
cite part of a study from The American
&
ITS TIME, NOW!
www.medicalbariatrics.com
9
Journal of Medicine, published online
in December, 2013. In “Diets to Prevent
Coronary Heart Disease 1957-2013:
What Have We Learned?” Drs. James E.
Dalen and Stephen Devries concluded:
Nearly all clinical trials in the 1960s,
1970s, and 1980s compared usual diets
with those characterized by low total fat,
low saturated fat, low dietary cholesterol,
and increased polyunsaturated fats….
These diets did reduce cholesterol levels.
However, they did not reduce the incidence
of myocardial infarction or coronary heart
disease deaths.
They went on to state:
Mediterranean-style diets are effective
in preventing coronary heart disease even
though they do not decrease total serum
cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein
cholesterol. The last 50 years of epidemiology and clinical trials have established a
clear link among diet, atherosclerosis, and
cardiovascular events. Nutritional interventions have proven that a “whole diet”
approach with equal attention to what is
consumed and what is excluded is more
effective in preventing cardiovascular disease than low-fat, low-cholesterol diets.
The full study is available online
at http://www.amjmed.com/
article/S0002-9343(13)01111-X/
fulltext#sec13. As always, we recommend discussing any planned dietary
changes with your physician as there is
no “one size fits all” plan.
Photo by Earlane Cox