Dairy Fat May Protect Against Diabetes

Dairy fat could lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by at least 42%, according to a new study.

A lack of research that examines the connection between dairy fat, circulating biomarkers, and the development of diabetes prompted the researchers to conduct their study.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Study: Yogurt Reduces High Blood Pressure Risk
Does Regular Yogurt Consumption Improve Health?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

To determine the effects of diary fat on diabetes risk, the researchers followed 3333 participants aged 30 to 75 years who did not have diabetes at baseline in the Nurses’ Health Study from 1989 to 1990 and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study from 1993 to 1994 in the United States.

Blood samples were collected from participants during both studies, which were analyzed by the researchers to measure total plasma and erythrocyte fatty acids.

Participants completed a questionnaire about their diabetes status in 2010, which found that 277 participants had developed the disease.

After an average 15-year follow-up, the researchers found that participants with higher plasma levels of the biomarker 15:0 had a 44% lower risk of diabetes, those with higher plasma levels of the biomarker 17:0 had a 43% lower risk, and those with higher plasma levels of the biomarker t-16:n-7 had a 52% lower risk.

“In 2 prospective cohorts, higher plasma dairy fatty acid concentrations were associated with lower incident diabetes,” the researchers concluded. “Results were similar for erythrocyte 17:0. Our findings highlight [the] need to better understand potential health effects of dairy fat; and dietary and metabolic determinants of these fatty acids.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Yakoob MY, Shi P, Willett WC, et al. Circulating biomarkers of dairy fat and risk of incident diabetes mellitus among US men and women in two large prospective cohorts [published online March 22, 2016]. Circulation. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.018410.