Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Dairy Products May Lower Diabetes Risk

A natural substance present in dairy products appears to protect against diabetes, say researchers. Trans-palmitoleic acid is present in milk, cheese, yoghurt and butter but cannot be prepared by the body.

Study Details:
A study of over 3,700 people found higher levels of trans-palmitoleic acid was linked with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. People with the highest levels cut their risk by 60%, Annals of Internal Medicine reports.

Lead author of the research, Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, said: "The magnitude of this association is striking.  "This represents an almost three-fold difference in risk of developing diabetes among individuals with the highest blood levels of this fatty acid."

Deepa Khatri, clinical advisor at Diabetes UK, said: "People should not take the findings of this research as a reason to exceed the recommended portion amounts of dairy food in order to prevent their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

"Milk and dairy foods can be high in fat, which if eaten in excess can contribute to weight gain. So it's advisable to choose lower-fat dairy foods instead.

Experts say more research is needed to see whether these trans-palmitoleic acids can play a useful role in preventing Type 2 diabetes. In the meantime, they recommend that all people, with or without diabetes, should have a healthy balanced diet, low in fat, salt and sugar with plenty of fruit and vegetables.
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