The Full-Fat Paradox: Whole Milk May Keep Us Lean - Article from NPR

[hilary1617]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/20...-full-fat-paradox-whole-milk-may-keep-us-lean

"...what if dairy fat isn't the dietary demon we've been led to believe it is? New research suggests we may want to look anew.
Consider the findings of two recent studies that conclude the consumption of whole-fat dairy is linked to reduced body fat.
In one paper, published by Swedish researchers in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, middle-aged men who consumed high-fat milk, butter and cream were significantly less likely to become obese over a period of 12 years compared with men who never or rarely ate high-fat dairy.
Yep, that's right. The butter and whole-milk eaters did better at keeping the pounds off.
"I would say it's counterintuitive," says Greg Miller, executive vice president of the National Dairy Council.
The second study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, is a meta-analysis of 16 observational studies. There has been a hypothesis that high-fat dairy foods contribute to obesity and heart disease risk, but the reviewers concluded that the evidence does not support this hypothesis. In fact, the reviewers found that in most of the studies, high-fat dairy was associated with a lower risk of obesity.
"We continue to see more and more data coming out [finding that] consumption of whole-milk dairy products is associated with reduced body fat," Miller says...."

 

[RockDoc]

Have you read The China Study? That one came to the overarching conclusion that dairy was the worst demon in our lunchbox. Seems there are studies that support nearly anything. I'm downright afraid of my refrigerator.

 

[JackieOnLine]

I think "low fat" makes sense if you (and I mean me, Ms Fully Absorbing) are eating something naturally that way like an apple.

but taking milk or cheese and making it low fat doesn't make sense any more than artificial sweeteners do.

 

[Munchkin]

My best guess at this point is that long term we are better off eating food the way we find it naturally. Or as close to that as possible.

Many years ago my mom had a friend who owned a dairy farm in Pennsylvania Dutch country. Most everyone owned a dairy farm in the area. I remember being impressed, even as a kid, that here was a whole community of people who weren't fat and ate full fat dairy and desserts daily. I was a fat kid who never saw real butter and milk at home was always skim... UGH!

 

[hilary1617]

I feel that fat has been vilified, but is really a patsy and that carbs and engineered/fake (low fat & sugar substitute) foods are the real culprits.