The Case Against Low-fat Milk Is Stronger Than Ever

[darnkatz]

Aw, yeah. I've been saying whole milk is better for a while now. 




The Case Against Low-fat Milk Is Stronger Than Ever

If you're still drinking skim, read this

For years you’ve been told to go for skim over full-fat dairy. Even the latest dietary guidelines for Americans urge people to avoid the full fat, and following this lead, school lunch programs provide only low-fat milk and no whole milk at all, even though they do allow chocolate skim milk with its added sugars. But large population studies that look at possible links between full-fat dairy consumption, weight and disease risk are starting to call that advice into question. And some research suggests people who consume full-fat dairy weigh less and are less likely to develop diabetes, too.


In a new study published in the journal Circulation, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian and his colleagues analyzed the blood of 3,333 adults enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study of Health Professionals Follow-up Study taken over about 15 years. They found that people who had higher levels of three different byproducts of full-fat dairy had, on average, a 46% lower risk of getting diabetes during the study period than those with lower levels. “I think these findings together with those from other studies do call for a change in the policy of recommending only low-fat dairy products,” says Mozaffarian. “There is no prospective human evidence that people who eat low-fat dairy do better than people who eat whole-fat dairy.”


Since full-fat dairy products contain more calories, many experts assumed avoiding it would lower diabetes risk. But studies have found that when people reduce how much fat they eat, they tend to replace it with sugar or carbohydrates, both of which can have worse effects on insulin and diabetes risk. In the current study, Mozaffarian adjusted for the role that weight plays, and found the connection between full-fat dairy intake and lower diabetes risk remained strong independent of weight gain.


In fact, in a separate study published in the American Journal of Nutrition, another group analyzed the effects of full fat and low fat dairy on obesity and found that among 18,438 women in the Women’s Health Study, those who consumed the most high-fat dairy products lowered their risk of being overweight of obese by 8%.

Together, the body of data is beginning to reveal both that full-fat dairy has a place in a healthy diet, and also how focusing on one nutrient in the diet may backfire. When dietary guidelines began urging people to lower the amount of fat they ate, the idea was to reduce the amount of cholesterol and unhealthy fats in the body. But by focusing just on cutting out fat, experts didn’t count on the fact that people would compensate for the missing fat and start loading up on carbohydrates, which the body converts into sugar—and then body fat.


“This is just one more piece of evidence showing that we really need to stop making recommendations about food based on theories about one nutrient in food,” says Mozaffarian. “It’s crucial at this time to understand that it’s about food as a whole, and not about single nutrients.”

While it’s not entirely clear how whole fat is helping to lower risk of diabetes, it’s possible that it’s working on several different levels to regulate insulin and glucose. At the simplest level, people eating more high fat dairy products will have enough calories so they won’t feel hungry enough to need additional calories from sugary foods. It’s also possible that the fats in dairy may be acting directly on cells, working on the liver and muscle to improve their ability to break down sugar from food. And then there’s the possibility that for certain high fat dairy foods, like cheese, which is fermented, microbes may be working to improve insulin response and lower diabetes risk too.

Mozaffarian isn’t advocating that people start consuming vast amounts of high fat dairy products if they’re worried about their diabetes risk. More studies need to be done in order for dietary guidelines to start recommending full fat dairy in order to improve health. But the results so far do support backing away from recommending just low fat options, he says. “In the absence of any evidence for the superior effects of low fat dairy, and some evidence that there may be better benefits of whole fat dairy products for diabetes, why are we recommending only low fat diary? We should be telling people to eat a variety of dairy and remove the recommendation about fat content.”

[pugz]

#SKIMMILK4LYFE

[pugz]

but we use full fat dairy for most cooking/baking, I just cannot drink anything other than skim

[expatpumpkin]

YES, I am all about the whole milk!

[darnkatz]

Apr 5, 2016 20:28:44 GMT -5 pugz said:

#SKIMMILK4LYFE

Skim is an abomination. It's like water with a splash of milk. Barf.

[ttt]

Skim milk is not milk. It's a milk-like product.

[meshaliuknits]

I like 2%.

[redheadbaker]

FI insists on drinking skim (also known as milk-flavored water). I get 2% for me and DS. I also sometimes buy whole milk for baking.

Our fridge has a lot of milk in it.

[meshaliuknits]

Apr 5, 2016 20:35:19 GMT -5 ttt said:

Skim milk is not milk. It's a milk-like product.

No, you're thinking of almond "milk". At least skim has made a mammal's acquaintance.

[waffletime]

[jeaniebueller]

We are whole milk drinkers too.

[darnkatz]

Apr 5, 2016 20:51:03 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

First of all, milk sucks.

Second of all, it probably doesn't matter what kind of milk I'm using when the only time I'm using it is in things like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

 I can tell you from experience that whole milk makes it that much better.

[eclaires]

I don't drink milk at all because it is disgusting, but MH (he loves milk, gross) and Jackson prefer skim. Scarlett drinks whole, and has always only had whole. We never switched her from whole after she turned two because I wanted her to get as many calories as possible - she's always struggled to gain weight and typically falls in the severely underweight BMI category. She's stayed on her own curve, but of course, I worry about her. Keeping her on whole just made me feel better about her caloric intake. PS - she hit 40lbs last week (considering she's ~4ft tall, this was a big milestone for us). I credit the whole milk, lol.

[curbsideprophet]

We used to drink 2% before having kids. We switched to whole milk and I don't see us going back any time soon. Skim milk seems more like water than milk.

[meshaliuknits]

Apr 5, 2016 20:51:03 GMT -5 @mrswindycity said:

First of all, milk sucks.

Second of all, it probably doesn't matter what kind of milk I'm using when the only time I'm using it is in things like Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

Skim makes it taste like its floating in water & whole puts s film on them. Low fat is Goldilocks.

[2curlydogs]

What about if you drink skim milk (mainly in cereal) but eat full-fat cheese by the boatload? Am I good?

[darnkatz]

Apr 5, 2016 21:08:03 GMT -5 2curlydogs said:

What about if you drink skim milk (mainly in cereal) but eat full-fat cheese by the boatload? Am I good?

No, but I'll be more forgiving if you overnight me some fresh cheese curds and Spotted Cow.

[epphd]

I think these studies both sort of presume that people eat ALL full fat dairy or ALL low fat dairy, or that when people switch they do so wholesale in all dairy products when really, it's a mix. And if your caloric intake is enormously impacted by the difference in calorie content between low and full dairy, I'm guessing you're eating a boatload of dairy. I think for most people who eat average amounts of full fat cheese (because for real who eats that low fat shit?) and low/non fat yogurt or milk - whether by preference or interest in reducing calories - the "negative" impacts of lowfat/missed "positive" impact of full fat are probably pretty small. I am certainly not going to switch to full fat or 2% milk for the rare bowl of cereal I eat.

[Gato]

I got a stern lecture once from my (otherwise good) doctor for drinking 2% instead of skim. Suck it, Dr. Pohlman!

[pugz]

I think it probably depends on what you grew up on. We drank skim growing up so everything else just tastes like cream to me. I can handle a couple of sips of 2% if nothing else is available and I'm eating something chocolatey (must have milk with chocolate).

[bellejar]

Apr 5, 2016 21:22:43 GMT -5 pugz said:

I think it probably depends on what you grew up on. We drank skim growing up so everything else just tastes like cream to me. I can handle a couple of sips of 2% if nothing else is available and I'm eating something chocolatey (must have milk with chocolate).

This is me exactly. I love skim.

I also love Diet Coke, though, and that's evil too. Everything I love is wrong.

[imobviouslystaying]

The headline says milk but milk is hardly mentioned in this fucking article at all. Let me just be all annoyed about that for a moment. (I've been annoyed all day, can you tell?)

Anyhoodle, to me, this article isn't trying to shame anyone for their milk choices (though I will shame people for drinking that bluish looking shit that looks like bathwater. Do better, skim milkers.)

It is talking about not choosing the low fat version of dairy products such as sour cream, cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta, yogurt etc. And color me not surprised by the results. Look at virtually anything that's touted to be a reduced fat or low fat version of something else and you'll see how much sugar and shit they put in there to help replace the texture lost and the full mouth feeling of the regular stuff.

[lyssbobiss, Command, B613]

Full fat makes me have gut bubbles and poop. . I need the skim!

[darnkatz]

Apr 5, 2016 21:30:23 GMT -5 imobviouslystaying said:

The headline says milk but milk is hardly mentioned in this fucking article at all. Let me just be all annoyed about that for a moment. (I've been annoyed all day, can you tell?)

Anyhoodle, to me, this article isn't trying to shame anyone for their milk choices (though I will shame people for drinking that bluish looking shit that looks like bathwater. Do better, skim milkers.)

It is talking about not choosing the low fat version of dairy products such as sour cream, cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta, yogurt etc. And color me not surprised by the results. Look at virtually anything that's touted to be a reduced fat or low fat version of something else and you'll see how much sugar and shit they put in there to help replace the texture lost and the full mouth feeling of the regular stuff.

I would have been more annoye if I were not drinking, I'm sure. 

[imobviouslystaying]

Apr 5, 2016 21:32:06 GMT -5 lyssbobiss, Command, B613 said:

Full fat makes me have gut bubbles and poop. . I need the skim!

You realize there are a few options between whole and skim, yes?

YOU ARE A YOUNG WOMAN, LYSS. STAY AWAY FROM THE BATHWATER!

[ellipses84]

I'm allergic to milk but I really disagreed with the pediatrician's recommendation to stop giving whole milk to my toddler. He's healthy, tall for his age and always been around the 50th percentile weight wise. We continued to give him whole milk most of the time and he's still the same range at almost 5 years old.

[turboteal]

We drank whole milk growing up and that's what I still drink. I tried 2% for a while, could only do ultra-pasteurized versions (tastes better somehow). Switched to ultra-pasteurized (keeps longer since I'm the only person drinking it) organic whole milk and I drink it all the time.

Also, I'm in the nurse's health study! Cohort 3. Yay for participating in research!

[Nonny]

I can't drink whole milk straight, the very thought makes me gag, but I love a glass of skim milk with sweet things (cake, cookies, waffles with syrup, cinnamon rolls - and all of these would be making me fat and/or diabetic regardless of my milk choice).

That said, low fat cheese can go to hell. I do on occasion buy partially skim milk ricotta for baking, but that's usually because it's on sale or because I grab the wrong thing accidentally and I can't tell the difference in what I use it for. But I'm all about full fat yogurt and sour cream too. So yeah, basically a mix like epphd said.

[cattledogkisses]

I want to know why finding whole milk Greek yogurt is like looking for a unicorn. Out of an entire giant aisle of Greek yogurt, my grocery store carries only one brand that isn't reduced or 0% fat. Reduced/no fat Greek yogurt (and sour cream and ricotta and cheese) taste like cardboard compared to the real thing.

[meshaliuknits]

Apr 5, 2016 21:58:39 GMT -5 Dig Ophelia said:

Apr 5, 2016 20:38:04 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

No, you're thinking of almond "milk". At least skim has made a mammal's acquaintance.

Hey now.  I know you're not throwing shade on almond milk, right?  
It's both yummy (like me ) and cruelty free (unlike me, when you talk shit about my milk.  ).

If it ain't from a boob it ain't milk. I reject it based on name!


Also, it tastes like ass.