Posted on 11/06/2025 9:37:01 PM PST by ConservativeMind
For decades, Americans have been advised that cutting fat was key for a heart-healthy diet, spurring an industry of low-fat dairy products. A new generation of nutrition research is challenging some of those long-held beliefs—suggesting that for dairy products, the overall effects of whole-fat varieties on heart health may be positive.
A new study adds to this shift. Using data from more than 3,100 participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, researchers tracked dairy consumption and measured coronary artery calcification—a buildup of calcium in the arteries that can be an early sign of heart disease.
Study participants were first surveyed in the mid-1980s, when they were between the ages of 18 and 30, and then tracked over the following 25 years. Using advanced statistical modeling, researchers looked at how different types of dairy predicted the presence of coronary artery calcification later in life. The results found:
—Whole-fat dairy appeared protective against coronary artery calcification. Participants who consumed the most whole-fat dairy had a 24% lower risk of developing coronary artery calcification compared with those who consumed the least.
—Low-fat and total dairy showed no clear relationship with risk of coronary artery calcification. Intakes of low-fat and total dairy products were not significantly linked to the presence of this heart disease marker.
—Body weight may play a role. The protective effect of whole-fat dairy weakened slightly after researchers adjusted for participants' body mass index (BMI), suggesting that the slightly lower average BMI of those who consume dairy may partly explain the association.
"People who consumed more whole-fat dairy in young adulthood were less likely to have early heart disease decades later," said Ethan Cannon.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
It does’t know why, but digging into my own memory, I recall taking CLA (Conjugated linoleic acid) capsules in the 90s, of which full fat dairy had a reasonable amount. It was to help burn fat.
My teacher was British for what that is worth.
very interesting.
Love and Death was right.
wow.
Did they do the study by race? White, Anglo-Saxon people tolerate milk better than other folks. I’ve been drinking low fat milk my whole 71 year life. No heart problems. Although I just got done beating liver cancer. Who knows. Just enjoy yourself. We’re not on this planet as long as you might think.
Growing up my mother was big on feeding us whole milk and real butter. Want dessert? Grab an apple, kid.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
