Full-Fat Milk Better For Your Heart Than Skimmed Milk, Says Study

With the popularity of skinny foods, a lot of people are opting for low-fat products that promise to take care of weight woes and also control blood cholesterol levels. However, repeated research studies have denounced such foods, saying that they don't do any good. Now, another study has proven that full-fat milk is more beneficial for the heart than skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. The study was conducted by University of Copenhagen in Denmark and published online on the website of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers found in their study that full-fat milk promotes the growth of high-density lipoproteins or HDL, commonly known as the good cholesterol which is needed by the body. A report in the EJCN journal said, "Dietary guidelines have for decades recommended choosing low-fat dairy products due to the high content of saturated fat in dairy known to increase blood concentration of LDL cholesterol. However, meta-analyses including observational studies show no association between overall dairy intake and risk of cardiovascular diseases and even point to an inverse association with type 2 diabetes."

The study was conducted over a period of two-three weeks on 18 participants, out of which 17 successfully completed it. The study was randomized, so some people were started with skimmed milk, whereas others started with the whole milk first. The results were telling. "Whole milk increased HDL cholesterol concentrations significantly compared to skimmed milk", stated the report, adding, "There were no significant differences between whole milk and skimmed milk in effects on total and LDL cholesterol, triacylglycerol, insulin, and glucose concentrations." It's time to switch your skinny coffee for some full-fat dairy!