Guest Columns

Perspective:
Dairy Nutrition

Science supports health benefits of whole and reduced-fat dairy foods

Tammy Anderson-Wise

Tammy Anderson-Wise, CEO of Dairy Council of California, is a guest columnist for Cheese Market News®.

The dairy community has long been proud of the important nutrients like protein, calcium and vitamins that are delivered in cheese, milk and yogurt. While these nutrients positively impact health, a growing body of scientific evidence shows the combination of nutrients and components in foods as a whole may have a more compelling impact on health than the individual parts — posing an opportunity for the cheese industry.

For decades, dietary recommendations have focused on limiting high-fat intake on the basis that it leads to obesity, heart disease, diabetes and various other chronic diseases that plague the nation. As a result, many Americans adopted lowfat dietary patterns; yet chronic disease rates are still high. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that six in 10 adults have at least one chronic disease — and many chronic diseases can be caused by poor nutrition.

• Dairy foods continue to positively impact health

It’s no secret that dairy foods like cheese contain saturated fat, but the tides are turning on how fat, and specifically dairy fat, is viewed. Medical and nutrition experts are beginning to understand that not all fat is equal, and certain foods containing saturated fat — including cheese — may not be as directly linked to cardiovascular disease risk as previously thought, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in 2013.

Another 2013 report in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society suggests that looking at saturated fat consumption on its own might be an overly simplistic metric for diet quality. Different food sources of fat can contribute additional nutrients and unique compounds to the diet that may impact disease risk. In short, studying individual nutrients may not account for the total effect of a food.

Over the past decade, science has demonstrated that cheese, milk and yogurt consumption, regardless of fat content, is not associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. One example of this is a 2018 study published in the medical journal The Lancet, which followed more than 136,000 adults across 21 countries and linked high consumption of dairy with a reduced risk of major cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Additionally, the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee linked consumption of milk and dairy foods to a wide range of health benefits, including well-studied associations like controlling blood pressure and improving bone health to newer associations like reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

These findings add to the growing body of evidence that regular dairy food consumption — at all fat levels — is not on its own associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular and other chronic diseases, and that it is critical to look at the overall nutrient quality of dairy foods like milk and cheese and how those nutrients interact to impact health.

• Embracing dairy foods in Dietary Guidance

With strong consensus from a growing number of studies, evidence supports the need to reaffirm the role of whole and reduced-fat dairy foods in healthy eating patterns. As the popularity of plant-based diets and other recommendations that limit dairy and milk consumption rises, it is critical to ensure that future nutrition guidance continues to embrace research that supports cheese and dairy foods as an important part of healthy eating patterns that promote optimal health and reduce risk of chronic disease.

Recommendations that do not acknowledge the unique package of nutrients and health-promoting benefits cheese and other dairy foods provide as part of healthy eating patterns could result in missed nutritional opportunities. With rates of chronic disease rising, ensuring that nutrition guidance embraces credible scientific research will help foster optimal health and ensure greater access to nutritious foods in communities where people live, learn, work and play.

Members of the cheese industry can play an important role in educating their community about the health benefits of milk and dairy foods. To empower the dairy community with credible scientific research, Dairy Council of California’s free DairyUp mobile app provides easily accessible information about milk and dairy products, and the journey from farm to table. The app offers information in six categories: nutrients of milk and dairy foods; health; safety; animal welfare; environment and sustainability; and types of milk and dairy foods.

DairyUp can be downloaded from Apple and Google Play app stores.

As dietary trends and recommendations change, Dairy Council of California will continue its efforts to elevate the health of children and families in California through the pursuit of lifelong healthy eating habits — with milk and dairy foods as a cornerstone.

CMN

The views expressed by CMN’s guest columnists are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheese Market News®.

© 2025 Cheese Market News • Quarne Publishing, LLC • Legal Information • Online Privacy Policy • Terms and Conditions
Cheese Market News • Business/Advertising Office: P.O. Box 628254 • Middleton, WI 53562 • 608/831-6002
Cheese Market News • Editorial Office: 5315 Wall Street, Suite 100 • Madison, WI 53718 • 608/288-9090