Dairy products lower metabolic syndrome risk

Men who regularly consume milk, cheese and yoghurt are less likely to develop metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of risk factors for heart disease and type-2 diabetes. The components include high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, abdominal obesity, high blood levels of triglycerides (a type of fat) and low blood levels of "good" cholesterol. Milk products may raise cholesterol, but being such a "complex food, it may have a wide range of effects in the body. To find an association of milk with metabolic syndrome, researchers at Cardiff University in United Kingdom studied 2375 men in the age group 45–59 years who did not have diabetes. These men completed detailed questionnaires about their diet at the beginning of the study. Over the next 20 years, their rates of diabetes, heart disease and stroke were tracked. It was found that men who reported the highest intake of dairy products had a significantly lower risk of having metabolic syndrome at the study's start. Fifteen per cent men who did have metabolic syndrome were 79 per cent more likely to develop heart disease over the next 20 years. They also had a four-fold increase in the risk of diabetes and were 46 per cent more likely to die over the two decades. The findings suggest a negative association between dairy foods and developing metabolic syndrome, but do not confirm that consumption of these foods prevent the syndrome. However, previous researches have related regular milk drinking to lower blood pressure, which may help explain its connection to metabolic syndrome. Some other evidence links dairy foods to better weight control. Thus, the consumption of milk and dairy products is associated with a markedly reduced prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, and these items therefore fit well into a healthy eating pattern.