- Cross-sectional. 113,000 people answered a food questionnaire and were evaluated for prevalence of the five metabolic syndrome components. Those who reported consuming two or more daily servings of whole fat dairy were 28% less likely to have metabolic syndrome (positive for at least three of the five components) than those who consumed only low fat or no dairy.
- Prospective. 58,000 people without hypertension (high blood pressure) and 131,000 people without diabetes were followed for nine years. Those who reported two or more dairy servings per day were 11% less likely to develop hypertension and 12% less likely to become diabetic than those who reported no dairy consumption.
Of course, whole fat dairy is loaded with saturated fat, which the authorities tell us we must limit to protect our hearts and brains. I think the emperor is naked! Metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and diabetes are direct precursors to heart attacks, strokes, dementia, cancer, and all the other chronic diseases that beset us. Their absence is a concrete sign of health. If saturated fat were really a dietary bogeyman, consuming more of it would not have such a strong association with better metabolic health, right?Conclusions Higher intake of whole fat (but not low fat) dairy was associated with a lower prevalence of MetS and most of its component factors, and with a lower incidence of hypertension and diabetes. Our findings should be evaluated in large randomized trials of the effects of whole fat dairy on the risks of MetS, hypertension, and diabetes.
I also see support here for the "just eat real food" philosophy. Whole fat dairy is a classic example of real food, and it provides calories that reduce our temptation to consume highly processed foods containing industrial seed oils and other toxic ingredients.