Study points to lower diabetes risk from dairy fat consumption

A new study has demonstrated that people who consume high-fat dairy products on a regular basis were less likely to develop diabetes, ANI reported.

According to the study conducted by European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria, people with the highest consumption of high-fat dairy products had a 23-per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest consumption (1 or less per day).

The study showed, dietary fats could affect glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity and might therefore have a crucial role in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats might be favourable in the prevention of T2D.

The study comprised 26,930 individuals between 45 and 74 years, from the population-based Malmo Diet and Cancer cohort. Dietary data was collected with a modified diet history method with 2,860 incident T2D cases identified during 14 years of follow up.

According to Dr Ulrika Ericson, Lund University Diabetes Center, Malmo, Sweden, their observations might contribute to clarifying previous findings regarding dietary fats and their food sources in relation to T2D.

Ericson added that the lowered risk of high intakes of high-fat dairy products, but not of low-fat dairy products showed that dairy fat, at least partly, explained observed protective associations between dairy intake and T2D.

The results showed that study participants who ate eight portions of high-fat dairy a day (including cream and whole milk) had a 23-per cent lower incidence of developing diabetes than those eating one portion a day, but the  same effect was not found for those eating low-fat dairy products, Forbes reported.

Several factors were controlled by the researchers to weed out other possible contributing causes, including total energy intake, BMI, leisure time physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and education.

The study also tracked diabetes rates associated with meat consumption and meat products like sausage, and found increased risk of developing the disease for those eating the most meat, regardless of fat content.

However, people who consumed lower-fat meats stood a greater risk than those eating high-fat meats (9 per cent greater risk for high-fat meats versus 24 per cent for low-fat meats).

The results point to the diabetes risk differential from fat consumption based on sources. Dairy fats might even actually provide protection against the disease.

According to Ericson, the observations may contribute to clarifying previous findings regarding dietary fats and their food sources in relation to Type 2 diabetes. The decreased risk at high intakes of high-fat dairy products, but not of low-fat dairy products, indicated that dairy fat, at least partly, explained observed protective associations between dairy intake and Type 2 diabetes, she added.