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Got dairy? | |||||
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A new study by researchers at Children’s shows early evidence that overweight people looking to reduce their chances of developing a syndrome that is a major risk factor for two deadly but largely preventable diseases need to look no further than the dairy aisle. Published in the April 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study was based on a review of the dietary habits of more than 3,100 people over a 10-year period. Researchers found that people who regularly consume milk, cheese, yogurt, or any other product primarily consisting of milk, are statistically less likely to develop insulin resistance syndrome (IRS). The disorders that make up IRS — obesity, glucose intolerance (elevated blood sugar, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes), hypertension and dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides and low levels of “good cholesterol” in the blood) — are major risk factors for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. While confirming studies are needed, Mark Pereira, PhD, research associate in Endocrinology and the first author of the study, says there may be a number of reasons why dairy products offer health protection. “It could be that one of the nutrients in dairy, calcium for example, may decrease the risk of these diseases, or the lactose, protein and fat in dairy may make people fuller so they consume fewer high-carbohydrate foods and beverages,” he says. “Or it could just be that people who consume more dairy products have healthier eating habits to begin with.” When they started the study, Pereira and senior author David Ludwig, MD, PhD, director of the Optimum Weight for Life Program, suspected they may find a relationship between the amount of dairy a person consumes and that person’s risk of developing IRS. But one of the study’s findings surprised them: they found that only people who were overweight at the beginning of the study benefited from increased dairy intake. “The 10-year incidence of IRS was more than two-thirds lower among overweight individuals who had five or more servings of dairy a day compared to those who had one-and-a-half servings or fewer,” says Ludwig. “But leaner people showed no association between dairy intake and incidence of IRS.” The researchers have a few hypotheses about why leaner people don’t show the benefits of dairy consumption, including genetic protection from developing diabetes and heart disease, and healthier eating and exercise habits that would reduce the risk of those diseases. They hope to test some of these hypotheses in additional studies, but for now it seems that some dairy each day may be just the thing to keep disease at bay. —MC |
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