Eating a little dairy food every day may help stave off heart disease or stroke, even in countries where such foods are not part of the traditional diet.
A study of nearly 4000 Taiwanese found no basis for fears that rising consumption of dairy foods had a damaging effect on health. Rather, it found that a modest amount in the diet meant lower risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease.
Milk and other dairy foods provide many essential nutrients, but people only need small amounts to gain the benefits.
“A little is beneficial and a lot is unnecessary,” says study leader Emeritus Professor Mark Wahlqvist from Monash University’s Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine and the Monash Asia Institute.
For optimal results, he says, eat somedairy food daily, at the rate of about five servings spread over a week. A cup of milk, 45 grams of cheese or a tub of yoghurt constitutes a serving; such quantities should not trouble even those considered lactose intolerant.
The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, involved researchers from the National Health Research Institutes and National Defense Medical Center in Taiwan.