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Dairy
Full-fat dairy and cardiovascular disease
Moderate evidenceIndependentAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2019
Sample size
938,465
participants
Study duration
10+ years
Study type
Meta-analysis of cohort studies
Industry funding in this area
Many pro-dairy studies have received funding from dairy industry bodies. The studies cited here were selected specifically because they were independently funded. The independent evidence is genuinely more nuanced than both industry and anti-dairy advocates suggest.
Plain English summary
Contrary to decades of public health messaging, recent large cohort studies have found no significant association between full-fat dairy consumption and increased cardiovascular disease risk, and some suggest a modestly protective effect for certain dairy types.
Key findings
- A meta-analysis of 29 cohort studies (938,465 participants) found no significant association between full-fat dairy and CVD or all-cause mortality
- Fermented dairy products like yoghurt were associated with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes
- The saturated fat in dairy appears to behave differently to saturated fat from meat in cardiovascular terms
- The evidence should not be extrapolated to other high saturated fat foods