THE LANCET has published the paper, Association of dairy intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 21 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study by (first author) Dr. Mahshid Dehghan, with Dr. Andre Mente, Sumathy Rangarajan, and other members of the PURE study team at Population Health Research Institute (PHRI).
The same day as publication in the esteemed medical journal, The New York Times wrote about the results and quoted Dr. Dehghan as saying that current guidelines are based on the presumed harms of saturated fatty acids on a single risk marker, LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol. But dairy products include many different nutrients. “We should not discourage consumption of dairy, especially among people who already have low daily consumption,” she said. “If people consume very low amounts, they should be encouraged to increase their consumption.”
The PHRI-led study included 136,384 people in 21 countries followed for an average of nine years.Dietary intakes of dairy products for 136 384 individuals were recorded using country-specific validated food frequency questionnaires. Dairy products comprised milk, yoghurt, and cheese, further grouped into whole-fat and low-fat dairy.
The findings indicate that, in a diverse multinational cohort, dairy consumption was associated with lower risk of mortality and major cardiovascular disease events.
Dr. Dehghan discusses the study’s findings in this video put out by The Associated Press (AP) – She starts at 15 seconds in.
