Dairy matrix may explain full-fat health benefits, researchers say

A Canadian study has demonstrated that full-fat dairy might be healthier than low-fat dairy, challenging decades of advice. Full-fat dairy is commonly associated with negative health effects such as weight gain, energy metabolism, blood lipid levels, and body composition. However, the study found that three daily servings of full-fat dairy caused none of these effects over the study’s 12-week time period, but instead brought health benefits. 

Dairy products contain saturated fats, linking them to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and higher cholesterol. To reduce this, low-fat or no-fat dairy products have been encouraged and recommended in dietary guidelines across multiple countries.

However, the researchers argue that their study findings have not matched these claims, as multiple human studies have failed to link full-fat dairy to negative health effects. On the contrary, recent research has demonstrated positive health effects from full-fat dairy consumption, they say.

Looking at nutrient-density

The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Toronto, Canada, and has been published in The Journal of Nutrition.

Consuming the three daily dairy servings showed higher levels of vitamin D, protein, and calcium.It included 74 overweight or obese adults, who were randomly assigned to follow one of three dietary groups: A low-dairy and calorie-restricted diet, an energy-neutral diet with three daily servings of full-fat dairy, or an unrestricted diet with three daily servings of full-fat dairy.

After 12 weeks, the researchers observed no differences in body weight, body composition, or cholesterol levels between the groups following the low-dairy diet and those eating three servings per day.

“Those that had three servings of dairy didn’t have adverse levels of blood cholesterol or lipids or evidence of insulin resistance,” says Harvey Anderson, lead author of the study and professor at the University of Toronto.

However, it did find that those consuming the three servings had higher levels of vitamin D, protein, and calcium, and showed improvements in blood pressure. 

To get a fuller understanding of the harms and benefits of dairy can be explained by the dairy matrix hypothesis, the researchers note.

The dairy matrix

The concept describes the complex physical structure of how nutrients such as fats, proteins, calcium, vitamins, and live bacteria in dairy products interact with each other. 

The researchers say that this physical structure also influences how nutrients are absorbed, digested, and how they affect the body. Rather than focusing on one nutrient, a food’s health effects may be dependent on how components interact.

The dairy matrix describes the complex structure of how nutrients in dairy products interact with each other. “With dairy products, it has two proteins — casein and whey — that are bound together with fat and with nutrients mixed in,” says Anderson. He says this complexity helps nutrients to be delivered gradually in the body, and it may be the explanation for why habitual dairy consumption provides benefits different from looking at solely saturated fats or other individual nutrients.

A recent study also found that the complexity of cow’s milk beats plant-based alternatives when supporting bone strength and the body’s nutrient absorption, according to findings backed by the Global Dairy Platform.

The researchers say that the findings may be especially important for older adults, who usually have a lower energy need and experience more difficulty in consuming sufficient nutrients. Dairy is therefore a nutrient-dense alternative that, according to the study, does not increase chronic disease risk.

The team urges an approach looking at the bigger picture for nutrition research and dietary guidance, considering the complexity and multiple aspects of whole foods, rather than focusing on single nutrients. 

Anderson concludes with a message of how to orient in a constantly changing landscape of dietary advice and nutrition trends: “Keep it simple, eat a variety of foods, and not too much of anything.”