Some dairy foods may protect against cerebrovascular diseases
According to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s 2018 Congress, dairy products may protect against both total mortality and mortality from cerebrovascular causes.
The consumption of dairy products has long been thought to increase the risk of death, particularly from coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, and cancer, because of dairy’s relatively high levels of saturated fat. Yet evidence for any such link, especially among U.S. adults, is inconsistent. According to research presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s 2018 Congress, dairy products may protect against both total mortality and mortality from cerebrovascular causes.
The researchers first examined data from a 1999–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) study of 24,474 adults with a mean age of 47.6 years, 51.4% of whom were female. During the follow-up period of 76.4 months, 3,520 total deaths were recorded, including 827 cancer deaths, 709 cardiac deaths, and 228 cerebrovascular disease deaths. The researchers found consumption of all dairy products to be associated with a 2% lower total mortality risk and consumption of cheese to be associated with an 8% lower total mortality risk. For cerebrovascular mortality, they found a 4% lower risk with total dairy consumption and 7% lower risk with milk consumption.
A meta-analysis by the researchers of 12 prospective cohort studies with 636,726 participants who were followed for approximately 15 years confirmed these results. But milk consumption was also associated with a 4% higher CHD mortality.
The researchers concluded that among U.S. adults, higher total dairy consumption protected against both total mortality and mortality from cerebrovascular causes. At the same time, higher milk consumption was associated with an increased risk of CHD, an association that needs further study. Causality, however, could be difficult to determine, as most people who consume milk also consume other dairy products.
“In light of the protective effects of dairy products, public health officials should revise the guidelines on dairy consumption,” said professor Maciej Banach, Dept. of Hypertension, Medical University of Lodz, Poland. “And given the evidence that milk increases the risk of CHD, it is advisable to drink fat-free or low-fat milk.”’