Higher Dairy consumption lowers cerebrovascular mortality, finds study

Higher total dairy consumption was associated with lower total and cerebrovascular mortality, while higher milk consumption was associated with higher risk of coronary heart diseases (CHD), according to the findings published in the journal Clinical Nutrition.

It was a common belief that the consumption of dairy products was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart diseases (CHD) and total mortality due to its relatively high content of saturated fat. However, reports on this association particularly among US adults are conflicting and controversial.

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Moshen Mazidi and associates performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine whether consumption of total dairy and dairy subgroups was associated with total and cause-specific CHD.

Using data from the study 1999-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), researchers investigated if consumption of total dairy and dairy subgroups was correlated with total and cause-specific (coronary heart diseases [CHD], cerebrovascular, and cancer) mortality. The NHANES dataset included 24,474 participants, among whom 3,520 deaths occurred during follow up.

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The investigators found a negative association between total dairy and milk consumption with risk of cerebrovascular mortality, while milk consumption was associated with increased CHD mortality. The meta-analysis indicated a significant inverse association between fermented dairy products and total mortality, while milk consumption was associated with higher CHD mortality.

"These findings do not support dogmatic public health advice to reduce total dairy fat consumption, although the association between milk consumption and CHD mortality requires further study, "write the authors.

For full information log on to https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2018.12.015