For years, the idea that low fat milk is healthier than whole milk has been ingrained in the U.S. healthy diet culture. Unsurprisingly, a shift in this belief is bound to cause confusion among the health community.
A recommendation change from skim or low fat milk to whole milk is expected with the upcoming release of revised dietary guidelines this winter. The change is said to be backed by studies that whole milk, and saturated fats, is not as unhealthy as it was once thought and may even be healthier in the long run.
Assistant professor Marcia Otto of the University of Texas saidthat, by discouraging consumption of full fat dairy, the U.S. is putting consumers at greater risk of contracting chronic illnesses.
"What we have learned over the last decade is that certain foods that are high in fat seem to be beneficial," Otto said.
A recent study found that whole milk drinkers are not at higher risk of developing cardiac disease than low fat milk drinkers. There is also no evidence to prove that low fat milk is better for those planning to lose weight while those wanting to gain some may benefit from consuming whole milk.
"In terms of obesity, we found no support for the notion that low-fat dairy is healthier," said Dr. Mario Kratz, author of the study and nutrition scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle. "None of the research suggested low-fat dairy is better."
However, there is also little evidence to prove that whole milk is healthier than skim milk. There are, in fact, studies that prove otherwise, as findings still prove that unsaturated fats are still better at safeguarding against heart disease than saturated fats found in whole milk.
Vegans may have had it right all along; while raw, organic milk offers numerous health benefits, a Harvard researcher and pediatrician argues that conventional milk and dairy products alike are a detriment to your health – thanks to added health-compromising sweeteners.
As David Ludwig mentioned in his research, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics, there have been countless pieces of research concluding the ill effects of sugar-sweetened beverages. The over-consumption of sugar has been tied to obesity, diabetes, inflammatory-related pain, and much more. And because of sugar’s negative effects on our health, even the United States Department of Agriculture, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other organizations are recommending against consuming calories from sugary drinks.
The one calorie-containing beverage they still heavily promote, however, is reduced-fat milk, where the organization recommends drinking 3 cups daily. This is where Ludwig questions the scientific rationale for such recommendations.
“This recommendation to drink three cups a day of milk – it’s perhaps the most prevailing advice given to the American public about diet in the last half century. As a result, Americans are consuming billions of gallons of milk a year, presumably under the assumption that their bones would crumble without them,” says David Ludwig.
As far as Ludwig is concerned, if the USDA is recommending to drink reduced-fat milk, it is also inadvertently encouraging the consumption of added sugars – a piece of advice that goes against all the research saying not to consume sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages. The idea of consuming low-fat milk or chocolate milk cancels out the whole reasoning for the recommendation in the first place since the fats are simply being replaced with dangerous sugars.
“The worst possible situation is reduced-fat chocolate milk: you take out the fat, it’s less tasty. So to get kids to drink 3 cups a day, you get this sugar-sweetened beverage,” Ludwig says. ”…we can get plenty of calcium from a whole range of foods. On a gram for gram basis, cooked kale has more calcium than milk. Sardines, nuts seeds beans, green leafy vegetables are all sources of calcium.”
The Case Against Low-Fat Dairy, and Other Dangers of Milk
Harvard researcher David Ludwig certainly has a point in analyzing and ultimately criticizing the USDA’s recommendations, but there is much more to the full-fat vs reduced-fat argument for milk and dairy products.
There are plenty of reasons to avoid certain fats such as trans-fats and refined polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils (like corn, soy, sunflower, and canola), but the evidence for moderate consumption of saturated fat, which is found in milk, coconut oil, and grass-fed land animals, is coming to the surface. While saturated fat was villainized for decades, a 2010 analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that “there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of [coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease].”
Further, there are numerous benefits to drinking full-fat dairy products. In it’s most pure state (raw, organic, and coming from grass-fed cows), full-fat dairy has been found in research to potentially promote heart health, control diabetes, aid in vitamin absorption, lower bowel cancer risk, and even aid in weight loss. But while pure dairy could promote your health, conventional dairy may prove damaging.
Before you consume more conventional dairy, please educate yourself as to what’s in your dairy. You’d be surprised that there could be 20+ painkillers, antibiotics, and much more lurking in your milk.
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