The SA Journal Diabetes & Vascular Disease Volume 18 No 1 (July 2021)

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SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE DRUG TRENDS
VOLUME 18 NUMBER 1 • JULY 2021 13
Dairy-rich diet linked to lower risk of diabetes and
cardiovascular disease
Eating at least two daily servings of dairy is linked to lower risks
of diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as the cluster of
factors that heighten cardiovascular disease risk (the metabolic
syndrome), finds a large international study, led by Dr Andrew
Mente at the Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health
Sciences and McMaster University. The observed associations were
strongest for full-fat dairy products, the findings indicated.
Previously published research has suggested that higher dairy
intake is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, high blood
pressure and the metabolic syndrome. But these studies have
tended to focus on North America and Europe to the exclusion of
other regions of the world.
To see whether these associations might also be found in a
broader range of countries, the researchers drew on people taking
part in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study.
Participants were all aged between 35 and 70 years and came from
21 countries: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China,
Colombia, India, Iran, Malaysia, Palestine, Pakistan, Philippines,
Poland, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey,
United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe.
Usual dietary intake over the previous 12 months was assessed
by means of food frequency questionnaires. Dairy products included
milk, yogurt, yogurt drinks, cheese and dishes prepared with dairy
products, and were classified as full or low fat (1–2%).
Butter and cream were assessed separately as these are not
commonly eaten in some of the countries studied.
Information on personal medical history, use of prescription
medicines, educational attainment, smoking and measurements
of weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure and fasting
blood glucose level were also collected.
Data on all five components of the metabolic syndrome were
available for nearly 113 000 people: blood pressure above 130/85
mm Hg, waist circumference above 80 cm, low levels of (beneficial)
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (< 1–1.3 mmol/l), blood fats
(triglycerides) of > 1.7 mmol/dl, and fasting blood glucose of 5.5
mmol/l or more.
Average daily total dairy consumption was 179 g, with full fat
accounting for around double the amount of low fat: 124.5+
versus 65 g.
Some 46 667 people had the metabolic syndrome, defined as
having at least three of the five components. Total dairy and full-fat
dairy but not low-fat dairy were associated with a lower prevalence
of most components of the metabolic syndrome, with the size of
the association greatest in those countries with normally low dairy
intakes. At least two servings a day of total dairy were associated
with a 24% lower risk of the metabolic syndrome, rising to 28%
for full-fat dairy alone, compared with no daily dairy intake.
The health of nearly 190 000 participants was tracked for an
average of nine years, during which time 13 640 people developed
high blood pressure and 5 351 developed diabetes.
At least two servings a day of total dairy was associated with an
11–12% lower risk of both conditions, rising to a 13–14% lower
risk for three daily servings. The associations were stronger for full-
fat than they were for low-fat dairy.
This is an observational study, and as such can’t establish cause.
Food frequency questionnaires are also subject to recall, and
changes in the metabolic syndrome were not measured over time,
all of which may have influenced the findings.
Nevertheless, the researchers suggest: ‘If our findings are
confirmed in sufficiently large and long-term trials, then increasing
dairy consumption may represent a feasible and low-cost approach
to reducing (the metabolic syndrome), hypertension, diabetes and
ultimately cardiovascular disease events worldwide.’
Source: MedicalBrief 2020
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