Whole-fat dairy products help lower diabetes risk
There has been a new research result suggesting the effectiveness of whole-fat dairy products in lowering risks of type 2 diabetes. It can be remembered that whole-fat dairy products were generally rejected by some health experts before.
Now it has been found out that the fatty acid known as trans-palmitoleic acid works best for people with type 2 diabetes. According to the study done in December 21 that was issued by the Annals of Internal Medicine, the fatty acids help people with high blood levels and diabetes by 62 percent effectiveness.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, the co-director of the program in cardiovascular epidemiology at the Brigham Women’s Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health said that “people who had higher levels of this fatty acid had better cholesterol and triglyceride levels, lower insulin resistance and lower levels of inflammatory markers.”The circulating palmitoleic acid is found in the human body. It is a naturally-produced acid in the body and can also be found in small amounts in dairy foods. Once it is found in sources outside the body, palmitoleic acid can be called as trans-palmitoleic acid. It has been said that whole milk has more trans-palmitoleic acid as compared to milk and skim milk. Mozaffarian said, "The amount of trans-palmitoleic acid is proportional to the amount of dairy fat.”
There have been studies on animals that show that the naturally-occurring palmitoleic acid can be very effective in protecting against insulin resistance and diabetes. In addition, Mozaffarian adds that when people consume greater amount of dairy products, it has shown that it helps in lowering the risk of diabetes.
The researchers looked at the data of more than 3,700 adults that have been enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study. The participants were aged 65 and above and lived in either these states: Maryland, California, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The researchers analyzed the blood samples from the participants. The blood samples were analyzed and the researchers found out that people with a higher level of trans-palmitoleic acid had a minimal fat on their bodies. These participants were also found out to have good cholesterol levels. In addition, they also had low levels of C-reactive protein which is a sign of inflammation.
The most significant finding is that those participants with higher trans-palmitoleic acid levels were found to have lower chances to have type 2 diabetes. According to Dr. Joel Zonszein, "this was a very nice, and very robust, association. Maybe whole milk isn't so bad, but I don't think there's enough evidence to show that we should start drinking whole milk. We need to understand the mechanism behind this association. Dietary changes in this country tend to be to extremes, but this study should not be used to make changes in the diet; it's just an observation right now."