Consuming high-fat dairy products cuts diabetes risk

A new study has demonstrated that people who consume high-fat dairy products on a regular basis are less likely to develop diabetes.

The study conducted by European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria, showed that people with the highest consumption of high-fat dairy products had a 23percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those with the lowest consumption (1 or less per day).

According to the study, dietary fats could affect glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity and may therefore have a crucial role in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats might be favorable in the prevention of T2D.

The study included 26 930 individuals aged 45-74 years, from the population-based Malmo Diet and Cancer cohort. Dietary data was collected with a modified diet history method and 2860 incident T2D cases were identified during 14 years of follow up.

Dr Ulrika Ericson, Lund University Diabetes Center, Malmo, Sweden, said that their observations may contribute to clarifying previous findings regarding dietary fats and their food sources in relation to T2D.

Ericson added that the decreased risk at high intakes of high- fat dairy products, but not of low-fat dairy products, indicated that dairy fat, at least partly, explains observed protective associations between dairy intake and T2D and meat intake was associated with increased risk of developing diabetes regardless of fat content.