NPR takes on dairy fat; it is better for us than previously thought and more… Many people drink milk or have other dairy products regularly. While there are those who insist dairy fats such as butter and even whole milk are bad for us, there is new research that suggests that dairy fat is much better for us than previously thought. For years, many of us have stayed away from things such as whole milk, crème and even full fat yoghurt, believing that the fat in the foods would cause problems with our weight, heart disease and cholesterol. The research seems to tell us the opposite; that the evidence of fat causing fat is just not there. Check out this article and podcast from NPR The Full-Fat Paradox: Whole Milk May Keep Us Lean I have to admit, I melt at the creaminess of full-fat yogurt. It’s an indulgence that we’re told to resist. And I try to abide. (Stealing a bite of my daughter’s YoBaby doesn’t count, does it?) The reason we’re told to limit dairy fat seems pretty straightforward. The extra calories packed into the fat are bad for our waistlines — that’s the assumption. But what if dairy fat isn’t the dietary demon we’ve been led to believe it is? New research suggests we may want to look anew. Consider the findings of two recent studies that conclude the consumption of whole-fat dairy is linked to reduced body fat. In one paper, published by Swedish researchers in the Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, middle-aged men who consumed high-fat milk, butter and cream were significantly less likely to become obese over a period of 12 years compared with men who never or rarely ate high-fat dairy. Yep, that’s right. The butter and whole-milk eaters did better at keeping the pounds off. “I would say it’s counterintuitive,” says Greg Miller, executive vice president of the National Dairy Council. The second study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, is a meta-analysis of 16 observational studies. There has been a hypothesis that high-fat dairy foods contribute to obesity and heart disease risk, but the reviewers concluded that the evidence does not support this hypothesis. In fact, the reviewers found that in most of the studies, high-fat dairy was associated with a lower risk of obesity. Read more