Arla Foods and AAK contribute to study modifying cows’ diets for healthier dairy

10 Feb 2020 --- Dairy that has been naturally modified to be lower in saturated fat can benefit blood cholesterol and heart health. This is according to a new study from the University of Reading in the UK, which compared ultra-high temperature processing (UHT) milk, cheese and butter from cows fed vegetable oil with dairy products from cows on a standard diet. By consuming a diet containing fatty acids similar to olive oil, the cows produced milk that replaced 25 percent of saturated fat with monounsaturated fat. The study was supplied with products from Arla Foods UK and AAK UK.

“This is a significant step for our work understanding the benefits of dairy on human health. There is no doubt that dairy can have a positive effect on health. In a number of our studies and those of others, we’ve seen that diets with higher dairy intakes are linked to health outcomes. However, we also know that high saturated fat diets can have an impact on heart health,” says Ian Givens, Director of the Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health at the University of Reading.

Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study found that participants who consumed the modified dairy saw benefits to their blood vessel health, which is an important marker of cardiovascular disease risk, also benefited. In addition, this group of subjects maintained their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, compared to an increase of 5.5 percent noted after consuming conventional dairy foods.

Over the course of 12 weeks, 54 participants with slightly raised cardiovascular disease risk ate a diet high in fat and dairy foods. At the end of the period, a range of markers for cardiovascular disease was significantly better after the group consumed the lower saturated fat products compared with conventional dairy foods.

Arla Foods UK and AAK UK provided the control dairy study products and high-oleic sunflower oil, respectively, but were not involved in the study design, data analysis and interpretation, or writing of the manuscript.

“Through the RESET project, we have been able to successfully reduce the amount of saturated fats and increase monounsaturated fats in otherwise entirely normal dairy products through changing the cow’s diet, without any change in flavor. Now in this study, we have demonstrated how using this milk to produce cheese, butter and UHT milk can be more beneficial than conventional dairy products on cardiovascular health in those with a slightly higher risk of cardiovascular disease,” Givens further explains. 

Adding oils similar to olive oil to the daily feed of dairy cows also can substantially reduce the amount of methane they produce. “Methane is a potent greenhouse gas meaning than our modified dairy foods may also be more environmentally friendly. This study, therefore, leads the way in developing natural, clean label dairy products that consumers are demanding,” continues Givens.  

The modified dairy products could be a useful substitution to help in the battle against heart disease.The first step in a long program of research
Weighing in on the research, Dr. Duane Mellor, Registered Dietitian and Senior Teaching Fellow at Aston Medical School, comments that the reduction in LDL cholesterol may not be clinically important. “Dietary changes can lower it by over 25 percent and drugs much more. Although the study showed estimated LDL cholesterol changed using an equation, it was unclear how it actually changed as the different types of cholesterol particles based on size did not change,” he notes. 

Graham Burdge, Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at University of Southampton, also notes that this study is the first step in a long program of research. “Unfortunately, the effects of this dietary modification on markers of cardiovascular health were modest and the authors do not indicate whether their approach alone would be sufficient to bring about meaningful changes in the health of the general population.”

Dr. Riyaz Patel, Associate Professor and Consultant Cardiologist and Clinical lead for Cardiovascular Prevention, Barts Health NHS Trust, stresses that it is crucial to acknowledge that the comparison group was people eating quite high levels of dairy fat – not a low fat or other diet. 

“As such, the study should not be taken to mean that eating high levels of dairy fat is good. Instead, the modified dairy products may be a better option and could be a useful substitution to help in the battle against heart disease – especially as it seems to taste the same,” he concludes. 

In recent years, animal-derived foods have been scrutinized for their links to cholesterol and related health issues. However, a study found that a moderately high intake of dietary cholesterol, equivalent to the consumption of up to one egg per day is not associated with an elevated risk of stroke. Meanwhile, plant-based meat alternative companies, including Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, are highlighting that their offerings have no cholesterol – in contrast with their traditional counterparts. 

Edited by Katherine Durrell