Whole dairy such as cheese, whole milk, cream and yogurt should be part of a healthy diet that slashes the risk of premature death by almost a third, according to new research.
Full-fat products protect against cardiovascular disease, the world’s number one killer – contrary to popular belief.
Whole grains are optional as is red unprocessed meat such as beef, lamb and pork which have little effect either good or bad.
In fact, we should be eating more nuts, fish and dairy rather than concentrating on diet and low-fat foods.
“The findings are based on a study of almost 150,000 people across the world tracked for an average of almost ten years,” said the study.
Those who regularly ate whole-fat dairy were 30 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular disease or suffer premature death.
An optimum healthy diet, dubbed PURE, was three to four weekly servings of legumes, seven of nuts, two of fish and 14 of mainly full-fat dairy – not including butter or whipped cream.
It also included two to three servings of fruit and vegetables a day. Unprocessed red meat and whole grains had little impact on outcomes.
“Low-fat foods have taken center stage with the public, food industry and policymakers, with nutrition labels focused on reducing fat and saturated fat,” said Lead author Dr. Andrew Mente, of McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
“Our findings suggest that the priority should be increasing protective foods such as nuts, often avoided as too energy dense, fish and dairy, rather than restricting dairy especially whole-fat, to very low amounts.
“Our results show that up to two servings a day of dairy, mainly whole-fat, can be included in a healthy diet.
“This is in keeping with modern nutrition science showing that dairy, particularly whole-fat, may protect against high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.”
A score of 1 and zero was assigned for intake above or below the average for the six food groups.
Mente says “participants in the top 50% of the population – an achievable level – on each of the six food components attained the maximum diet score of six.”
Fatty dairy foods have traditionally been considered culprits of heart disease. The latest analysis adds to a growing body of evidence they bring significant health benefits.
Most cheeses, including brie, stilton, cheddar, Lancashire and double Gloucester, contain between 20g and 40g of fat per 100g and have been linked to high cholesterol.
Foods that contain more than 17.5g per 100g are considered high in fat.
Dr. Mente and colleagues compared rates of mortality, heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease among 147,642 individuals in 21 countries with their diets.
Calculations also took into account age, sex, waist-to-hip ratio, education level, income, urban or rural location, physical activity, smoking status, diabetes, use of statins or high blood pressure medications and total energy intake.
The average diet score was 2.95. During an average follow-up of 9.3 years, there were 15,707 deaths and 40,764 heart attacks and strokes.
Those with the healthiest diet score of five or more were 30 percent less likely to die during the study period than peers who only managed 1 or less.
They were also 19, 18 and 14 percent less likely to suffer a stroke, develop cardiovascular disease or have a heart attack.
The results were confirmed in five independent studies including a total of 96,955 patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 70 countries.
Dr. Mente said: “This was by far the most diverse study of nutrition and health outcomes in the world and the only one with sufficient representation from high, middle and low-income countries.
“The connection between the PURE diet and health outcomes was found in generally healthy people, patients with CVD, patients with diabetes, and across economies.
“The associations were strongest in areas with the poorest quality diet, including South Asia, China and Africa, where calorie intake was low and dominated by refined carbohydrates.”
Cardiovascular disease is responsible for more than 160,000 deaths in the UK each year. It claims around 18 million lives globally.
Senior author Professor Salim Yusuf, also from McMaster, said: “This suggests that a large proportion of deaths and CVD in adults around the world may be due to undernutrition, that is, low intakes of energy and protective foods, rather than over nutrition. This challenges current beliefs.
It backs previous research by Norwegian scientists that found eating more naturally high-fat foods while limiting the amount of carbohydrates consumed does not cause an increase in harmful cholesterol
“The new results in PURE, in combination with prior reports, call for a re-evaluation of unrelenting guidelines to avoid whole-fat dairy products,” said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a nutritionist at Tufts University, Boston, who was not involved in the study.
“Investigations such as the one by Mente and colleagues remind us of the continuing and devastating rise in diet-related chronic diseases globally, and of the power of protective foods to help address these burdens.
“It is time for national nutrition guidelines, private sector innovations, government tax policy and agricultural incentives, food procurement policies, labelling and other regulatory priorities, and food-based healthcare interventions to catch up to the science. Millions of lives depend on it.”
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
Edited by Daisy Atino and Judy J. Rotich
