IDM ¦ Column
Dare to Dairy
Dairy products consumption and disease prevention
Author: Alexander Anton, EDA Secretary General
Milk and dairy products
have been unjustifiably
discredited in recent
years, in different
ways. Some unscientific
but popular diets and food trends
encourage people to limit or avoid its
consumption. However, when turning
towards science, many recent studies
found that getting enough dairy
throughout life can help preventing
multiple chronic diseases, including
heart disease, colon and bladder cancers,
and even diabetes.
The latest World Cancer Report
2020 recognised that there is a strong
evidence that higher intake of calcium
and dairy products decreases risk of
colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is
the second most commonly occurring
cancer in women and the third most
commonly occurring cancer in men.
High intake of milk and other dairy
products (400 g/day of dairy overall,
including 200 g/day of milk) together
with other wholesome foods such as
fruits and vegetables, whole grains,
nuts and legumes, fish and other seafood,
have been recognised as part of
dietary patterns associated with a lower
risk of colorectal cancer. The report
explains that the mechanism behind
this pattern is related to calcium which
is naturally present in high quantities in
dairy. Calcium binds to potentially toxic
secondary bile acids in the intestinal lumen.
16 · May 2020 ¦ international-dairy.com
In addition, intraluminal calcium
binds to the calcium-sensing receptor,
a cell surface receptor that is expressed
on colonocytes and increases expression
of E-cadherin, p21, and p27,
which have anticancer effects.
Another recent publication reviewed
14 different American, European,
and Spanish studies that examined
the effects of dairy on the prevention
of chronic diseases (the meta-analysis
has been published in Advances in Nutrition).
One of the biggest findings is that
dairy has a positive health effect at all
life stages. Drinking a moderate amount
of milk during pregnancy has been
linked to better birth weight, length,
and bone-mineral content during childhood.
For elderly people, daily milk and
dairy intake may lower the risk of frailty
and sarcopenia (muscle loss due to aging).
Scientists found that eating high
amounts of low-fat milk and yoghurt
and products rich in dairy-proteins (e.g.
ricotta cheese) have beneficial protective
effect against these conditions.
Dairy consumption has also been associated
with a lower risk of coronary
heart disease, including heart attacks.
Also, eating dairy products, especially
low-fat, may be linked to a reduced
risk of type 2 diabetes. Moderate consumption
of milk and dairy products as
well as medium and high consumption
of milk and fermented dairy products
has been associated with a lower risk
of colorectal cancer and bladder cancer.
Another study found that milk and
dairy consumption was not shown to
have an inflammatory effect in people
who are overweight or obese.
A study published by the British
Journal of Nutrition involving 2,000
men found that those men who were
high consumers of low-fat fermented
dairy products like yoghurt and cheese
had a smaller risk of coronary artery
disease than men who ate less of these
products. This supports earlier studies
that showed that fermented dairy products
have a particularly positive health
effect on blood lipid profiles and the
risk of heart disease. Dairy products are
nutrient-rich and are excellent sources
of high-quality protein, as well as calcium,
phosphorous, potassium, iodine,
vitamin B2 and B12. They also contain
small amounts of other nutrients such
as zinc, selenium and magnesium; and
other B vitamins (B3, B6, B9), and vitamin
A.
It is therefore well established in
nutrition science and dietary guidelines
that dairy products play an important
role as part of a healthy and balanced
diet and across all life stages. It is especially
important to establish the habit
of drinking milk in young children, as
those who consume milk at an early
age are more likely to do so as adults.
Iodine for example, is an essential nu
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