Why full fat milk is better for you than trim

Those who drink full fat milk are 46 per cent less likely to develop diabetes than fans of trim milk. Photo / Getty

For years we've been advised to choose trim milk over full fat, the reduced fat in trim milk being touted as better for us, and important to help keep obesity in check.

But two new studies show it may be time to reconsider our options as scientists determine those of us who choose full fat milk tend to weigh less than those who drink trim.

They also revealed those who drink full fat are 46 per cent less likely to develop diabetes than trim milk fans.

The findings have been announced just as the World Health Organisation reports that 422 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes. The number of adults with the disease has quadrupled in 34 years.

The recommendation for low fat dairy, and avoidance of full fat, have been in place for several decades. But those guidelines were based on predictions around bone health and cardiovascular disease.

According to scientists at Tufts University, neither low fat or full fat dairy products were found to have major effects on risk factors for heart disease.

By analyzing blood samples from more than 3,300 adults, taken over a course of 15 years, the study found people with higher levels of full fat dairy presented a reduced risk of developing diabetes compared to those with lower levels.

Published in the journal Circulation, the findings determined that three dairy biomarkers are responsible for the lower incidence of diabetes.

The scientists wrote: "These results provide new evidence on associations of dairy-derived circulating fatty acids and risk of diabetes."

In another study from Brigham Women's Hospital, Harvard University and Karolinska Institute assessed more than 18,000 women from the Women's Health Study, to determine the effects of full-fat and low-fat dairy on obesity.

Eleven years on, they recorded that 8,238 of the women became obese, finding that women who consumed high fat dairy products were less likely to be overweight.

They determined a bigger intake of high fat dairy, not low fat, was associated with less weight gain.

- nzherald.co.nz