Health Benefits of Dairy Foods

 

Article By: The Weight Watchers Research Department   Print   Email

 

There has been a great deal of research on dairy foods to explore potential roles in promoting health and preventing disease. Dairy foods are broadly defined as products derived from cow's milk such as fluid milk, yogurt, and cheese. These foods are good sources of protein, calcium, vitamin D and other essential nutrients. Over the past few decades, there has been a great deal of research on dairy foods that looks beyond their contribution of essential nutrients to explore potential roles in promoting health and preventing disease.1

The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) was a group of 13 experts who were charged with reviewing the strength of the science on a number of topics, including the role of dairy foods in overall health. The Committee published its report in September 2004. The DGAC report served as the basis for the development of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

DGAC Findings²
After reviewing the pool of science related to the role of dairy foods in health promotion and disease prevention, the DGAC found that there is conclusive evidence that a diet rich in dairy foods reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis. The DGAC also stated that there is "limited evidence" that dairy foods can help protect against the development of metabolic syndrome. Most evidence indicates that the calcium found in dairy foods is partially or mostly responsible for the effect on metabolic syndrome.

The DGAC also concluded that there are no studies linking dairy foods and weight gain. While dairy foods are not associated with weight gain, the DGAC did not feel that there was sufficient scientific evidence to support encouraging their use as part of a weight-loss effort. Instead, the group indicated that rigorous studies involving large groups of people need to be done to gather the information needed to reliably determine the role dairy foods and/or calcium intake may have on weight loss.

Finally, the DGAC stated that the role of unique components found in dairy foods, including specific milk proteins and conjugated linoleic acid, do not have enough scientific evidence to make any type of conclusion.

Recommended Intake
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend two daily servings of dairy foods for people eating fewer than 1,600 calories a day and three daily servings for those at higher calorie levels. The Guidelines focus on the benefits of the calcium and vitamin D found in fat-free or low-fat milk or equivalent dairy foods in promoting bone health and preventing osteoporosis.

View footnotes

Other Science Library Topics:

• Dairy Foods and Weight Management
  
  
• Cutting Calories: Portion Control, Energy Density
  
  
• Introduction to the Glycemic Index
  
  

¹Ludwig DS. Diet and development of the insulin resistance syndrome. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2003;12 Suppl:S4

²2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report.

³Kral TV, Rolls BJ. 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans