Milk is good for you, right? But a growing number of researchers and doctors are challenging that idea, saying you might not need dairy at all, according to a new report. The Wall Street Journal.
In terms of relying on dairy for certain nutrients, it certainly isn’t necessary, said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of medicine and nutrition at Tufts University School of Medicine.
“You probably don’t need to get your calcium or vitamin D from dairy,” he told CBS News. “There are other things you can get.” Plant-Based Alternatives The rise of foods supplemented with calcium and vitamin D has led to a reduction in recommendations, particularly regarding dairy products.”
Plus, like any other food, you can eliminate any single food from your diet and still have a healthy diet, so you don’t need to eat dairy, he says.
But there’s a reason not to empty your cheese drawer just yet.
Dietary guidance and promotion of dairy product intake Three meals a day Dairy research, with its emphasis on low-fat options, “has been based on oversimplified theories about some of the nutrients we need, like calcium and vitamin D,” Mozaffarian said, “but those theories are being replaced by actual research about the health benefits of dairy.”
Mozaffarian said some of the benefits of dairy products include:
- Milk reduces risk of high blood pressure and stroke
- Cheese and yogurt lower diabetes risk
- All dairy products appear to be associated with increased muscle mass and decreased fat mass.
“These benefits seem to have nothing to do with the traditional fat, calcium or vitamin D content, but rather with other things, such as the fermentation of the cheese. Probiotics The probiotics in yogurt Intestinal flora It may help reduce the risk of diabetes. Cheese is the most widely consumed fermented food in the United States, and we’re learning about its health benefits. Fermented foods Kimchi, sauerkraut, etc.”
So how much dairy should you consume?
If patients eat dairy, Mozaffarian said he recommends one serving of unsweetened yogurt and cheese each day.
“It’s not so much because of the calcium or vitamin D, it’s more about the cardiometabolic benefits,” he said, adding that whether it’s low-fat or full-fat doesn’t seem to affect the health benefits. “We’ve been pushing for nonfat or skim milk for years, but it doesn’t taste very good, and I tell people to take low-fat or full-fat, whichever you prefer, until there’s more evidence.”
