Do Full-Fat Dairy Products Help Prevent Weight Gain?

Do full-fat dairy products help to prevent weight gain? One recent study seems to suggest just that.

Swedish researchers found that persons who have one or more servings of whole milk or cheese each day gain less weight than those persons who consume servings of whole milk or cheese less often or not at all. The study, which involved more than nineteen thousand middle-aged women, was conducted over a period of nine years, and it appears to contradict conventional wisdom that health and weight-conscious individuals should avoid full-fat dairy products such as whole milk.

The role of dairy products in controlling body weight is currently a hot topic in the nutrition community. Although there is still no clear consensus, recent studies suggest that dairy products such as milk and yogurt might actually help regulate body fat.

The Swedish study, published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, may present more questions than answers. For example, according to the study, only whole milk seemed to help prevent weight gain, while low-fat milk did not. And this only benefitted women who were of a normal weight at the beginning of the study.

The study's lead author, Dr. Magdalena Rosell, told Reuters Health that the associations between dairy intake and weight gain do not necessarily reflect a direct action of the dairy foods. Rather, eating habits are a marker of overall lifestyle, and it may be that the women who favored whole milk also had other eating habits that protect against weight gain.

Still, the fact that middle-aged women who consumed at least one serving of whole milk or cheese per day reported less weight gain than those who did not, is interesting. Some researchers say that dairy products help protect against weight gain because calcium aids in fat regulation. Others refute that. This new study would suggest that the nay-sayers are correct, since the consumption of low-fat milk did not aid in the prevention of weight gain.

Dr. Magdalena Rossell, who is a researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stolkholm, suggests that a type of fat (CLA) found in dairy foods might aid in controlling weight. However, she adds, there is not yet enough evidence to support that theory.

In fact, Dr. Rossell recommends that until there is further evidence, people should stick with conventional wisdom and continue to select low-fat dairy products rather than those high in saturated fats.