[LifeStyle]Dairy-rich diet may help lower diabetes and high BP risks: Study

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While multiple studies have found that milk and other dairy products are good for bone health, gut health and skin health among others, a new study has found a link between daily consumption of dairy products and lower diabetes risk. The study, published in the online journal BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, stated that consumption of at least two servings of dairy products may lower the risks of high blood pressure, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is defined as a cluster of factors that lead to an increase in the risk of heart-related diseases.

As per the study, researchers tracked the health condition of about 1,90,000 participants for about an average of nine years. It was found that participants who consumed at least two servings of dairy products daily had a 12 percent drop in the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Participants were all aged between 35 and 70 years and came from 21 countries: Argentina; Bangladesh; Brazil; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; India; Iran; Malaysia; Palestine; Pakistan; Philippines, Poland; South Africa; Saudi Arabia; Sweden; Tanzania; Turkey; United Arab Emirates; and Zimbabwe.

 

Information on personal medical history, use of prescription medicines, educational attainment, smoking and measurements of weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure and fasting blood glucose were also collected.

In the study, dairy defined products were milk, yogurt, yogurt-based drinks, cheese and dishes prepared with dairy products. The researchers found stronger association with full fat dairy, instead of the low fat ones. However, the list did not include butter or cream.

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The researchers stated that this study was observational and has no such established cause yet. They further said that more research is needed before people with high blood pressure start following this diet. “If our findings are confirmed in sufficiently large and long term trials, then increasing dairy consumption may represent a feasible and low cost approach to reducing [metabolic syndrome], hypertension, diabetes, and ultimately cardiovascular disease events worldwide,” the researchers said.