Source: WebMD
Dairy products may ward off metabolic syndrome, a cluster of risk factors that puts a person at greater risk for diabetes and heart disease, French researchers report.
But before rushing out the door to get a milkshake or a triple-scoop ice cream cone, the researchers advise that skim milk or other low-fat dairy products are the best route to go.
“There is an association of high dairy consumption and the lower probability of metabolic syndrome,” says Vanin Bongard, MD, PhD, of the University School of Medicine in Toulouse, France. “However, it is important to differentiate between low- and high-fat dairy products. Individuals should drink skim milk and eat low-fat yogurt.”
The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association.
What Is Metabolic Syndrome? and my post here about it.
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Dairy and Lifestyle
The researchers warn that the study only produced an association between dairy products and metabolic syndrome and therefore the connection has yet to be proven.
“Further study is needed,” says Bongard.
It also appeared that the men who drank more milk and ate more dairy products may have taken better care of themselves, the researchers say.
“They also tended to exercise more, drink less alcohol, and smoke less,” says researcher Jean Dallongeville, MD, PhD, of the Institute Pasteur de Lille, France.
More study is required before exact recommendations can be given, he says.
The study is interesting, but it is “unclear” whether there is a cause- and-effect relationship, says Robert Eckel, MD, president of the American Heart Association.
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