Niki Bezzant: Should you drink full-fat milk?

If dairy is neutral why can't we just go for it on the full-fat milk? Photo / Getty Images

Which is best: low fat or full fat? It has been the subject of debate with the advent of the high-fat, low-carb diet trend. The Heart Foundation has been looking at the evidence on dairy and has released an updated Position Statement on Dairy and the Heart.

The effect of dairy on health has been a focus of nutrition research for a while. Evidence has emerged the fat in dairy foods (milk, yoghurt and cheese) might not be as harmful as previously thought. It's now thought to be neutral in terms of heart health compared to other sources of saturated fat.

The Heart Foundation's new statement reflects this. Dairy foods, they say, have a place in a heart-healthy diet. Whether you choose full-fat or reduced-fat versions of milk and yoghurt, though, probably depends on your individual health and your overall diet.

This is a softening of the foundation's previous statements, although not a change in specific advice. It still recommends we choose unsweetened, reduced-fat dairy options.

This is where it gets a little bit tricky. If dairy is neutral why can't we just go for it on the full-fat milk?

The answer is there are better sources of fat. "There is ample evidence that fat from nuts, seeds, oily fish, avocado and olive oil are cardioprotective, heart-healthy fats" says Dave Monro, the Heart Foundation's Food and Nutrition Manager.

So when they are compared with dairy fat and dairy foods, the heart-healthy sources of fat are a better choice, particularly if you consume a lot of dairy.

"However if you're following a really heart-healthy way of eating, and your diet is relatively low in saturated fat, or dairy only makes up a small part of your diet, then the type of milk, cheese or yoghurt - whether it's full fat or low fat - is probably of less importance," says Monro.

It's this bigger picture the foundation prefers to emphasise. Healthy ways of eating are more important than one particular food. The best way of eating for heart health emphasises vegetables and fruit, with unrefined grains, legumes and, if eaten, non-processed lean meats, poultry and oily fish, as well as reduced-fat dairy.

"Milk, cheese and yoghurt are great nutrient-dense foods," says Monro. "But for most people, there are far more important areas to focus on for a healthy diet, rather than focusing specifically on dairy.

"Things like increasing their intake of vegetables and fruit and cutting down on processed foods, rather than worrying too much about whether they are having trim milk or full-fat milk."

In other words: when we concentrate on good healthy foods, the nutrients tend to take care of themselves.

Niki Bezzant is editor-at-large of Healthy Food Guide