Fatty Dairy Products Are Important in a Diet for Diabetes Type 2
Cheese
The benefits of fatty dairy products seem to go beyond being a good source of calcium and they may need to be part of a diet for diabetes type 2 as well as a measure to prevent this disease.
A new study by Harvard School of Public Health has shown that a fat found in dairy products reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This fat is called “trans-palmitoleic acid” and is a fat that our bodies cannot produce.
A healthy fat named trans-palmitoleic acid
Reported in the December 21, 2010 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers explain that trans-palmitoleic acid may be evidence that diets rich in dairy foods are linked to lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Health experts usually advise reducing whole dairy products, but trans-palmitoleic acid is found in dairy fat, investigators indicate.
The researchers examined 3,736 participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-funded Cardiovascular Health Study, who have been followed for 20 years to evaluate risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in older adults.
Factors such as blood sugar levels, glucose, insulin levels, and levels of fatty acids in the blood, including trans-palmitoleic acid, were measured using stored blood samples in 1992, and participants were followed for development of type 2 diabetes.
Higher circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid in the blood were associated with healthier levels of blood cholesterol, inflammatory markers, insulin levels, and insulin sensitivity. During follow-up, individuals with higher circulating levels of trans-palmitoleic acid had a much lower risk of developing diabetes.
Mozaffarian, lead author of the study, indicates that although this finding requires confirmation by additional studies, the magnitude of this association is striking. “This represents an almost three times difference in risk of developing diabetes among individuals with the highest blood levels of this fatty acid.”
In contrast to the types of industrially produced trans fats found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, which have been linked to higher risk of heart disease, trans-palmitoleic acid is almost exclusively found in naturally-occurring dairy and meat trans fats, which in prior studies have not been linked to higher heart disease risk.
Yogurt
“There has been no clear biologic explanation for the lower risk of diabetes seen with higher dairy consumption in prior studies. This is the first time that the relationship of trans-palmitoleic acid with diabetes risk has been evaluated,” said Mozaffarian.
“We wonder whether this naturally occurring trans fatty acid in dairy fats may partly mimic the normal biologic role of its cis counterpart, cis-palmitoleic acid, a fatty acid that is produced in the body. In animal experiments, cis-palmitoleic acid protects against diabetes.”
Hotamisligil, the study’s senior author, emphasizes the magnitude of the risk reduction. “This is an extremely strong protective effect, stronger than other things we know can be beneficial against diabetes. The next step is to move forward with an intervention trial to see if there is therapeutic value in people.”
The bottom line
In view of this study, consuming non-fat dairy products may not be such a good idea after all. We are removing all fats from milk, yogurt, etc. and we may be causing more harm than good. One way to correct this deficiency could be including whole or 2 percent fat milk in our diet. However, because we’ll be ingesting more calories, we need to exercise more. I strongly believe that it is not how much fat we ingest, it is how little we move.
To your health!
Emilia Klapp, R.D., B.S.
www.TheDiabetesClub.com
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Posted on Jan 24, 2011
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