Efficacy of a milk diet that lowers the risk of diabetes and hypertension

The risk of diabetes and hypertension can lurk anyone who does not take care of their health and diet. An effective way to reduce the risk of both diseases is to live a healthy lifestyle and one of them can be achieved by having a high milk diet.

Is it true that a diet high in milk, especially milk without added sweeteners, can reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension?

A dairy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension

Milk and milk products are healthy foods that offer nutrition because they act as a source of calcium and vitamin D. In addition, milk can also be a complement to meet the needs of protein and other nutrients, such as phosphorus, potassium, and vitamin A.

The benefits of consuming milk and its products are many. Starting from good for the growth of bones and teeth to preventing excess weight gain offered by milk.

What's more, according to research from BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, a dairy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension. This large-scale study found that consumption of at least two dairy products daily was associated with a lower risk of diabetes and hypertension.

Apart from these two diseases, a diet high in full-fat milk is also associated with several factors that trigger heart disease.

In this study the experts tried to analyze these findings by including more countries. Participants who took part in this study were aged between 35-70 years and came from 21 countries, namely Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Sweden.

The participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire about what foods they used to eat during the past 12 months.

Consumption of these foods includes dairy products such as milk, yogurt, yogurt drinks, cheese and other dairy products. Then, these dairy products will be divided into two categories, namely full fat (full fat) and low in fat (1-2%).

However, dairy products such as butter and cream were analyzed separately because there were countries that were not used to consuming these products.

Milk consumption was compared with metabolic component data

The participants also filled in information about their medical history, drug use, smoking, body weight, and blood pressure and blood glucose. Then, the data will be compared against the five metabolic components available for nearly 113,000 people.

blood pressure above 130/85 mmHg
waist circumference above 80 cm
high density cholesterol (less than 1-1.3 mmol / l)
blood fats (triglycerides) greater than 1.7 mmol
blood glucose 5.5 mmol / l or more

As a result, approximately 46,667 participants experienced metabolic syndrome which is defined as having 3 of the 5 components above. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of conditions that occur at the same time. For example, an increase in blood pressure, blood sugar, excess fat to an increase in cholesterol levels.

The researchers then concluded that a diet high in milk is likely to reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension. At least 2 servings of dairy a day of total milk was associated with a 24 percent lower risk of metabolic syndrome.

Meanwhile, for those who only drank full-fat milk this figure increased by 28 percent compared to those who did not consume milk daily.

The study was conducted over nine years during which 13,640 participants developed a high blood pressure risk and 5,351 others had the potential to develop diabetes.

The findings from this study concluded that two servings of milk a day can reduce the risk of both diseases by 11-12 percent. Then, the percentage can also be increased to 13-14 percent lower for three servings a day.

However, this study has not found what causes a diet high in milk to reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension. In addition, changes in the metabolic syndrome were not measured over time, which is likely to influence these findings.

Choice of dairy products that are good for health

The findings above do show that a diet high in full-fat milk lowers the risk of diabetes and hypertension. However, experts still recommend that adults consume more low-fat to fat-free dairy products.

It is also important to remember that milk that is good for consumption does not contain added sweeteners, such as sugar.

Reporting from Harvard Health Publishing, a number of studies show that certain types of milk can actually prevent heart disease. This is evidenced by research from the British Journal of Nutrition which found that consumption of fermented dairy products reduces the risk of coronary artery disease.

The study also supports previous findings showing a positive effect of yogurt and cheese on blood lipid profiles compared to other dairy products.

The benefits of a milk diet are said to reduce the risk of diabetes and hypertension. However, don't forget to consult with your doctor first to find out what your daily milk consumption limit is so that you don't overdo it in one day.