Dairy Product Consumption – Less Diabetes Risk

After reading several articles on dairy foods being good for you, I do have to wonder if there is an agenda in the study. The article reports that a natural substance in dairy products apparently helps protect against diabetes.

A study of over 3700 people found that higher levels of trans-palmitoleic acid was linked to a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Trans-palmitoleic acid is present in milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter. Trans-palmitoleic acid cannot be made by the body. This is the first study to state this and they are asking for more studies to prove the function of trans-palmitoleic acid.

The researchers advise not changing your diet to include more dairy products because if these are consumed in excess to reduce the risk of diabetes, this will contribute to weight gain and possible insulin resistance. They continue to recommend that people, with or without diabetes, should eat a nutritionally balanced diet, low in fat, salt, and sugar.

The researchers are consistent in their mantra of low fat, which has been proven to be false in several recent studies. Of course, they say more research is needed to see if these trans-palmitoleic acids can be a useful tool in preventing Type 2 diabetes. The study did track the health of the participants over a 20 year period and this is where the result of the higher levels of trans-palmitoleic acid were determined to be beneficial.

Read the articles here, here, and here. Another blog is here.