Thread by @thetimes

Did you ditch dairy in 2021? It might be time for a rethink as new findings confirm that yoghurt, milk and cheese are not the dietary demons we once assumed 🥛🧀 thetimes.co.uk/article/drink-…

Existing healthy eating guidelines recommend:
👨 men should eat no more than 30g of saturated fats and 👩 women no more than 20g a day

Though it’s not that difficult to hit those upper targets when:

50g 🧀+ a dish of 🍨 = ~20g of saturated fat
One tablespoon 🧈 + 200ml of whole🥛 = ~20g of saturated fat

In one paper researchers analysed data from a Cambridge University study.

Professor Nita Forouhi, leader of the study, and her team looked at if and how saturated animal fat, such as that found in dairy foods, had an impact on the risk of heart disease 🫀

But Forouhi’s is the latest study to suggest the story is not that straightforward.

“We’ve become very reductionist in the way we view foods, but all foods are very complex and contain a cocktail of nutrients that might help or harm health through multiple mechanisms,” she says

Forouhi’s study found that people who ate more saturated fats from red meat and butter were more likely to develop heart disease, whereas those who consumed more from cheese and yoghurt had some protection against it. Milk had a neutral effect on heart health

Forouhi says that guidelines about saturated fat consumption “will need to change in time” but that her results are not a licence to gorge on cheese.

“The message is still moderation,” she says.

So, here’s what you need to know about the different kinds of dairy 🐄:

Yoghurt:
It’s hard to find a food with a better health profile than yoghurt.

It is a good source of:
✅Protein
✅Calcium
✅Vitamins D, B12 & B2
✅Zinc

According to Forouhi, yoghurt eaters have a 28% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes compared with non-yoghurt eaters

Milk:
When it comes to nutrients, cows milk wins hands down. 🐄

It’s packed with:
🥛Potassium
🥛Magnesium
🥛Riboflavin
🥛Vitamins A & B12
🥛Calcium

Milk is also important for bone health, and provides all nine essential amino acids needed for body tissue growth and repair

Cheese:
🦷Lowers acidity levels in the mouth, helping to prevent tooth erosion
🔻 Has a low glycaemic index, meaning it won’t trigger unhealthy blood sugar spikes
📉Shown to reduce insulin resistance, a condition that can lead to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes

Butter:
🧈😐
Positive research findings for dairy don’t extend to butter. "Think of it as an occasional, or ‘sometimes’ food,” says Dr Alexandra Wade.

Forouhi found that people who ate a higher amount of saturated fats from butter were more likely to develop heart disease

Read the full story here:
thetimes.co.uk/article/drink-…