Could milk help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease? A new study investigates the potential cardiovascular benefits of dairy consumption.

Milk Consumption and Cardiovascular Health: Resolving the Contradictions

Milk is a complex substance that contains a mix of beneficial nutrients, such as 18 out of 20 essential proteins and amino acids, as well as saturated fats. Previous studies on the impact of milk consumption on cardiometabolic diseases and cholesterol levels have produced conflicting results, leaving the role of dairy in heart health unclear.

A Meta-Analysis Sheds Light on Milk’s Cardiovascular Effects

In a new study, researchers from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom conducted a meta-analysis of three large population studies involving over 400,000 individuals. The study aimed to resolve the contradictions in the existing research on the relationship between milk consumption, cholesterol levels, and coronary heart disease risk.

Genetic Variation Reveals the Surprising Relationship Between Milk, Obesity, and Heart Health

The researchers leveraged a genetic variation known as the lactase persistence genotype, which is associated with higher milk intake. They found that individuals with this genetic variant had higher BMI and body fat, but lower levels of both good and bad cholesterol. Importantly, these individuals also had a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease.

Overcoming the Limitations of Previous Studies

The researchers suggest that the contradictory results of earlier studies may have been due to unaccounted confounding factors or reverse causation, where overweight individuals were advised to reduce their dairy intake. By using the genetic variation approach, the researchers were able to overcome these limitations and establish a clearer link between milk consumption and cardiovascular health.

The Potential Cardiovascular Benefits of Dairy Consumption

The study’s findings challenge the notion that reducing milk intake is necessary for preventing cardiovascular diseases. Instead, the results suggest that drinking dairy milk may actually lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, despite the associated increase in BMI and body fat.

Implications for Dietary Recommendations and Future Research

These findings have important implications for dietary recommendations and the ongoing research on the role of dairy in cardiovascular health. The study highlights the need for further investigation into the complex interplay between milk consumption, obesity, and heart disease risk factors.

Milk’s Multifaceted Relationship with Heart Health

The study’s lead author, Professor Vimal Karani, summarizes the key takeaway: “All of this suggests that reducing the intake of milk might not be necessary for preventing cardiovascular diseases.” The results suggest that the potential cardiovascular benefits of milk consumption may outweigh the associated increases in BMI and body fat.

Why Do Milk Drinkers Have Lower Cholesterol Levels?

One possible explanation for the lower cholesterol levels observed in milk drinkers is the complex composition of milk, which contains a mix of beneficial nutrients and saturated fats. The researchers suggest that the specific combination of compounds in milk may have a favorable impact on cholesterol metabolism and heart health, despite the presence of saturated fats.

Is Milk Consumption a Protective Factor for Coronary Heart Disease?

The study’s findings indicate that milk consumption may be a protective factor against coronary heart disease, even in the presence of increased BMI and body fat. This challenges the common assumption that dairy products should be limited or avoided for cardiovascular health.

Milk Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk: Balancing the Pros and Cons

The study highlights the need to carefully consider the multifaceted relationship between milk consumption, obesity, and heart health. While the results suggest potential cardiovascular benefits of milk, the complex interplay between these factors requires further research to fully understand the implications for dietary recommendations and overall health.

Could milk reduce coronary heart disease risk?

By Robby Berman on May 28, 2021 — Fact checked by Hilary Guite, FFPH, MRCGP

Share on PinterestCould milk lower cholesterol? Aditya Ali/EyeEm/Getty Images

• A new study suggests that drinking dairy milk may lower cholesterol levels.
• The study consists of a meta-analysis of three surveys involving over 400,000 individuals.
• The scientists found that even though drinking milk leads to higher body mass index (BMI) and body fat, it still lowers the risk of coronary heart disease.

Dairy milk is a complex substance. For example, it contains 18 out of 20 essential proteins and amino acids, but it also contains saturated fats.

Perhaps this is why attempts to definitively identify its role in cardiometabolic diseases and its effect on cholesterol levels have produced conflicting results.

A newly published study from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom attempts to resolve such contradictions. The study is based on a meta-analysis of three existing large population studies.

The authors conclude that people who consume dairy milk have lower levels of both types of cholesterol and a lower risk of coronary heart disease than people who do not drink milk.

Despite this, people who do drink milk have higher BMI and more body fat. These are typically considered risk factors for cardiovascular issues.

Lead study author Vimal Karani, a professor of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics at the University of Reading, summarizes the study’s findings:

“We found that among participants with a genetic variation that we associated with higher milk intake, they had higher BMI [and] body fat, but importantly had lower levels of good and bad cholesterol. We also found that those with the genetic variation had a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease. All of this suggests that reducing the intake of milk might not be necessary for preventing cardiovascular diseases. ”

The study was a collaboration involving researchers from the University of Reading, the University of South Australia in Adelaide, the Southern Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, also in Adelaide, University College London in the U.K., and the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

The results appear in the International Journal of Obesity.

The study authors note that the contradictory results of earlier studies may have to do with unknown confounding factors, or confounders that studies have not measured well enough. For example, people who drink milk may also eat more butter and smoke more, raising their cholesterol and heart disease risk.

If researchers do not take these confounders into account, they may identify an association between milk intake and high cholesterol and heart disease risk that might not exist.

Another problem with earlier studies is reverse causation. People who are overweight often receive advice to reduce their dairy product intake. If scientists carry out a study without knowing when those people reduced their intake, the analysis could suggest that the excess weight was due to a low rather than a high dairy product intake.

One approach that scientists can take to overcome this issue is to use information about genetic variation. These studies are called Mendelian randomization studies.

Since genetic variations originate at conception, reverse causation cannot influence them. Furthermore, they should not affect the tendency of someone to undertake a genetically unrelated behavior or show a raised physiological variable that is unconnected.

For example, a genetic variation that makes milk consumption more likely will not directly influence how much cholesterol someone has in their blood, as other genes control that factor. Therefore, if people with the variant drink milk and have higher or lower cholesterol, we can infer that it is the milk that influenced the cholesterol rather than some other variable.

This is exactly what the researchers behind this new study did. They leveraged a strong association between the lactase persistence genotype variation and people who drink milk. They then confirmed this link using data from the GWAS catalog and found no other association with the lactase persistent variant other than increased obesity.

Therefore, for the purposes of the current study, the researchers identified the people who drink milk as those with the gene variation.

Medical News Today asked Dr. Edo Paz, of K Health, to comment on this approach. He said that such studies “may minimize biases that we typically see in observational studies, although confounding factors that affect the relationship between milk consumption and disease may still be present.”

The researchers performed their meta-analysis on data collected for three large studies: the 1958 British Birth cohort, the Health and Retirement Study, and the UK Biobank. Altogether, they included data for 417,236 individuals in their research.

The study authors conclude that people with the gene variant had lower levels of low-density lipoprotein, total, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

The researchers suggest four possible explanations for this:

• The calcium and lactose in milk may enhance calcium absorption, which reduces cholesterol levels.
• People who drink milk may be consuming less fat than people who do not drink milk, a category that includes lactose-intolerant people who can, nonetheless, consume higher fat cheese and butter.
• The calcium in milk may increase the excretion of bile acids. These acids derive from cholesterol in the liver, so if excretion increases, cholesterol concentrations may eventually drop.
• Gut microbial fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates might alter and lower cholesterol synthesis.

The study also finds that people who drink milk have a 14% lower risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Prof. Karani says:

“The study certainly shows that milk consumption is not a significant issue for cardiovascular disease risk even though there was a small rise in BMI and body fat among milk drinkers. What we do note in the study is that it remains unclear whether it is the fat content in dairy products that is contributing to the lower cholesterol levels or an unknown ‘milk factor.’”

In the data from the UK Biobank, people who drink milk had an 11% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, though the researchers were not convinced of a genuine link between this behavior and developing diabetes or its symptoms.

As for the takeaway from the study, Dr. Paz told MNT, “I would continue to follow the recommendation from the American Heart Association, which suggests that adults eat 2–3 servings of fat-free or low fat dairy products per day.”

Best and Worst Milks to Drink for Your Cholesterol Levels

By Amy KraftMedically Reviewed by Michael Cutler, DO, PhD

Reviewed: June 9, 2022

Medically Reviewed

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The milk aisle is changing, now offering a growing number of options for what to pour on your cereal or drink down as a late-night snack. But what do the newer types of milk mean for your heart health if you have high cholesterol? Old-fashioned cow’s milk, for example, is loaded with calcium and vitamins A and D, which are all good for your heart and overall health. But too much of the saturated fat and cholesterol in whole milk — and even in 2 percent milk — may counteract those health benefits. When you’re trying to get to healthy cholesterol levels, you’ll want to limit the amount of saturated fat in your diet.

Alternative milks can provide similar nutritional benefits if you’re watching your cholesterol, are lactose intolerant, vegan, or allergic to certain proteins in cow’s milk; or if you simply prefer something other than cow’s milk. “People choose a milk based on tolerability and taste — in addition to health beliefs,” says Deborah Krivitsky, RD, a dietitian based in Boston. “Each milk will provide different pluses and minuses.”

Organic Cow’s Milk: Good for Protein, Bad for Cholesterol

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Whole cow’s milk contains around 160 calories, 5 grams (g) of saturated fat, and 35 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol in a 1 cup — or 8 ounce (oz) — serving. “It’s a tremendous source of protein and nutrients, contains essential vitamins and minerals, and provides a third of a person’s daily recommended intake of calcium,” Krivitsky says. Cow’s milk also contains potassium, which may help prevent high blood pressure (hypertension). What’s more, a study published in Food Science & Nutrition found that grass-fed dairy cows produce milk with the highest levels of omega-3 compared with other cows, which is important because omega-3s promote heart health.

But when it comes to your cholesterol levels, “high-fat dairy could get you into trouble,” says John Day, MD, a cardiologist in Salt Lake City. Saturated fat in your diet raises LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, which increases your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. If you drink cow’s milk, most doctors recommend low-fat or nonfat versions. A 1-cup serving of skim milk has around 83 calories, no saturated fat, and only 5 mg of cholesterol.

Raw Cow’s Milk: A Full Dairy Alternative, but at Great Risk

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Thinking about switching to raw cow’s milk, also known as unpasteurized milk? It has about the same amount of calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol as regular dairy milk. But pregnant women and children should avoid drinking raw milk and eating dairy products such as cheese made from raw milk, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Since raw milk doesn’t go through the process of pasteurization that kills potentially harmful bacteria — like salmonella, listeria, and E. coli — people with compromised immune systems are at higher risk of getting foodborne illness from it, though it has the potential to sicken anyone.

Soy Milk: No Cholesterol, but Could Be Missing Calcium

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With 80 calories and only 2 g of fat per 1-cup serving, plain, light soy milk is a great alternative for people who are watching their cholesterol or cannot tolerate the lactose found in dairy milk. Because the source of soy milk is a plant, it has no cholesterol and only negligible amounts of saturated fat. Soy milk also contains 7 g of protein per serving, which is great for a heart-healthy diet. Twenty-five g per day of soy protein, like that found in soy milk and tofu, may also reduce your risk of heart disease, according to the National Institutes of Health. This may be due not just to the protein, but to soy’s high levels of polyunsaturated fats, minerals, vitamins, and fiber, as well as to its low levels of saturated fat. Still, Krivitsky says, it’s important to read the label to know what you’re getting: “Make sure there’s no added sugar and that it’s fortified with calcium.”

Almond Milk: No Cholesterol, but Low in Protein

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“Almonds are heart-healthy,” says cardiologist Dr. Day, who recommends almond milk to his heart patients. Unsweetened almond milk contains between 30 and 40 calories per 1-cup serving and has no saturated fat. And because it’s a plant-based milk, it also contains no cholesterol. Fortified versions contain the same amount of vitamin D as skim cow’s milk, and some brands even contain up to 50 percent more calcium. Almond milk also contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, which may lower LDL cholesterol and help maintain your body’s cells, according to the American Heart Association. Unfortunately, almond milk is also low in protein compared with cow’s milk and other milk alternatives, making it a less ideal choice.

To maintain a healthy heart, Day says, be sure to drink unsweetened almond milk. “The biggest issue with alternative milks is that most of them are sweetened,” he says. “Added sugar in any form can be dangerous to your heart.”

Oat Milk: Gluten Free, but Carbohydrate Heavy

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Oat milk is one of the newer options on the market. Made of combining oats with water and milling the mixture down into a fine consistency and strained, 1 cup of oat milk contains about 80 calories, and like other plant-based milks, no saturated fats or cholesterol. Additionally, oat milk has higher levels of vitamin B, which helps convert food into energy. While this does make for better cholesterol levels and heart health, oat milk does come with higher sugar carbohydrate levels than other milk alternatives, which can raise blood sugar levels and could put consumers at risk for diabetes.

Hemp Milk: No Cholesterol and Good for Magnesium

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Hemp milk comes from the seeds of the hemp plant (cannabis), but it doesn’t contain THC — the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, which is a different variety of cannabis. With a flavor and consistency similar to almond milk, hemp milk is a good choice if you’re watching your cholesterol levels, are lactose intolerant, or if you have milk or soy allergies. A 1-cup serving of hemp milk contains 80 calories, 1/2 g of saturated fat, and no cholesterol. Hemp milk is packed with omega-3 fatty acids, especially heart-healthy alpha-linolenic acid. It’s also a good source of calcium and magnesium, both of which are essential for heart health. Getting enough magnesium helps your heart keep a normal rhythm, and having too little can lead to arrhythmias — irregular heart rhythms — like atrial fibrillation.

Coconut Milk Beverage: Healthy but Untested

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This option adds natural sweetness to your coffee, oatmeal, or cereal, and has only 45 calories in an 8-oz glass — and no cholesterol. One cup of unsweetened coconut milk beverage contains 4 g of saturated fat, but most of it is made up of medium-chain fatty acids, which may have some health advantages. “Some populations eat a lot of coconut and don’t get heart disease,” Day says.

But there’s not enough research to conclude that coconuts and coconut milk are a heart-healthy choice when you have high cholesterol.

“The final verdict is still out,” says Lavinia Butuza, RD, a nutritionist in Sacramento, California. “Heart patients need to be careful with anything coconut, and treat all saturated fats as the same, for now.”

Rice Milk: No Cholesterol, Very Low in Protein

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Cup for cup, rice milk is a plant-based milk that contains as much calcium as cow’s milk. A 1-cup serving of rice milk has 113 calories (just 30 more than in a cup of skim cow’s milk). Rice milk has no saturated fat, and no cholesterol — but like oat milk, it’s naturally higher in carbohydrates. Rice milk is also very low in protein, so if you do drink rice milk, be sure that you’re getting enough protein from other sources in your diet. “Protein is related to a heart-healthy diet,” Butuza says. “If you don’t get enough protein, you may be taking in too many carbs, and too much of that can turn into higher bad cholesterol levels.”

Goat’s Milk: Less Potent Than Cow’s Milk

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Goat’s milk can be a good option if you want a beverage with a similar nutritional profile to whole cow’s milk but you have trouble digesting lactose. On the downside, a 1-cup serving of goat’s milk is high in calories (168) and saturated fat (6.5 g), and it also contains 27 mg of cholesterol.

According to Mayo Clinic, limiting saturated fats in your diet can help reduce your blood cholesterol levels and lower your risk of coronary artery disease. High levels of cholesterol in your blood can lead to the plaque buildup in your arteries, called atherosclerosis — a condition that increases your risk of stroke and heart attack.

Butuza notes that it’s difficult to find a low-fat version of goat’s milk, and that it has fewer essential vitamins and minerals than cow’s milk. “There’s a lot less folate and B12 vitamin in goat’s milk,” Butuza says. And if it’s raw, she says, “There’s a risk of foodborne illness — unless you have a goat in your backyard.”

Camel’s Milk: Hard to Find but Rich in Vitamins

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The latest craze to make its stamp on the milk market is camel’s milk. One 8-oz glass contains 107 calories, 3 g of saturated fat, and 17 g of cholesterol. And this milk option is packed with vitamins and minerals: According to research published May 2021 in the Saudi Journal of Biological Studies, camel’s milk has 3 to 5 times more vitamin C than cow’s milk and has anti-diabetic properties due to the high presence of insulin and insulin-like protein in the milk. It’s also a natural probiotic that can contribute to gut health.

This milk option is still hard to come by in the United States — and it’s expensive. “It’s certainly something to look out for, and it needs to be pasteurized,” says Krivitsky. As a note of caution: Camel’s milk may be one of the animal sources of the MERS coronavirus in the Middle East.

Additional reporting by Zachary Smith.

The benefits and harms of milk: what more?

July 12, 2018

Likbez

Food

Cow’s milk really makes you healthier. But not everyone. Protein – a macronutrient supplied with food.

100 g of cow’s milk contains about 3.2-3.5 g of protein. At the same time, the digestibility coefficient (protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score, PDCAAS) of such a protein is 1.0. It just couldn’t be better.

This means that milk is almost completely absorbed by the body and contains all the necessary amino acids.

If you’re losing weight, choose low-fat milk, drink it by itself, or try regular high-protein shakes.

2. Reduces the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease

The fats in cow’s milk are mostly saturated – about 63%. It is believed that they are harmful to the heart and blood vessels, but there is no scientific evidence for this.

Conversely, low-fat milk, dairy products and cheese reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease.

In addition, milk can contain up to 4.73% polyunsaturated fatty acids that are good for the heart and brain. True, so many of these acids are only in spring and summer, when cows are fed grass. Abroad, grass-fed milk is considered the standard of healthy milk.

3. Improves bone health

The body needs calcium to keep bones and teeth strong and healthy. Moreover, this macronutrient is involved in the contraction and expansion of blood vessels, the transmission of nerve impulses and the secretion of hormones. So if you don’t have it, problems can start.

100 g of milk contains 112 mg of calcium. Not much compared to boiled spinach (136 mg) or almonds (264 mg). However, getting calcium and absorbing it are not the same thing.

Calcium from milk is well absorbed due to lactose, vitamin D and phosphorus.

4. Supports brain health in old age

Older dairy drinkers have more glutathione in their brains. It is a powerful antioxidant that protects brain cells from free radicals.

Why milk is harmful

1. In the presence of hormones it increases the risk of developing cancer

The milk of cows that are milked in the first half of pregnancy contains a lot of estrogen and progesterone. Such milk affects a person’s hormonal background and increases the risk of ovarian, breast, and uterine cancer.

2. May interfere with digestion

Carbohydrates in milk are represented by lactose. It is also called milk sugar. The body needs lactase to metabolize lactose. If this enzyme is lacking, lactose cannot be fully digested. This means that 30–120 minutes after eating dairy products, diarrhea, gas, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal muscle cramps may occur.

Lactose intolerance does not need to be treated. It is enough to exclude milk and dairy products from the diet.

Is it worth drinking milk

It is impossible to say unequivocally whether milk is good or bad. It all depends on the specific milk and the person drinking it.

It is better to give up milk if you:

1. Have lactose intolerance.
2. Hormonal imbalance or family history of uterine, ovarian, breast or prostate cancer.

It is better for such people to switch to plant-based alternatives. For example, milk from rice, coconut, almonds or walnuts.

People with high cholesterol should reduce their saturated fat intake. So they need to buy skim milk.

The rest of this product will only benefit: it will provide easily digestible protein and calcium. And milk from grass-fed cows will add more polyunsaturated fatty acids to your diet, which are good for the heart and brain.

Read also 🧐

• How to make homemade yogurt
• How to make homemade cottage cheese from milk or kefir. 6 easy ways
• How and how long to store milk and dairy products

Natural dairy products will strengthen blood vessels and heart

Natural dairy products will strengthen blood vessels and heart

One of the important factors for good health, a healthy heart and strong blood vessels is proper nutrition. So, the regular use of dairy and sour-milk products helps to cleanse the blood vessels, and calcium and potassium, which are part of them, protect against hypertension and angina pectoris. Which “milk” to give preference to, say the experts of the company “Golden Meadows”.

World Heart Day is celebrated on September 29th. The purpose of the date is to remind about the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and to attract the population to a healthy lifestyle. This includes quitting smoking, reducing sedentary time, moderate exercise. A balanced diet reduces the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system many times over by normalizing weight, lowering blood pressure, and reducing the susceptibility to thrombosis.

Often, doctors recommend reducing the proportion of animal and vegetable fats in the diet to avoid the accumulation in the body of dangerous forms of cholesterol that contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. However, recent studies have shown that dairy products can be excluded from such recommendations. The results were published in the scientific journal PLoS Medicine.

Milk is a source of complete animal proteins, calcium and vitamin D, and therefore should be consumed without fail and/or dairy products. It strengthens the heart muscle and gives the body strength for active life. It can also lower blood pressure, which is useful for hypertensive patients. Potassium, which is part of milk, dilates blood vessels, making them elastic and facilitating the removal of harmful cholesterol from the human body.

Fermented milk products also have a special set of vitamins and minerals to support vascular and heart health. For example, yogurt removes toxins from the human body and helps to strengthen the immune system. Kefir improves metabolism, which reduces the risk of atherosclerosis and other heart diseases. Cottage cheese has all the useful elements that our heart cannot do without: these are calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium. They support the work of the heart and help lower blood pressure. And cheese protein is easily digested in the body and contributes to the normalization of metabolism, which also favorably affects the cardiovascular system.

“Contrary to popular belief that butter is harmful to health, this product can bring many benefits to the body, you just have to follow the measure. Natural butter contains unsaturated fats that maintain the elasticity and tone of blood vessels. However, only a product that does not contain preservatives, soy or other vegetable additives, or milk fat substitutes will have useful qualities,” says Elena Kruk, head of the communications department at Zolotye Luga JSC.

This condition also applies to other dairy and fermented milk products. The necessary vitamins and microelements are stored only in natural products, which are produced according to verified technologies.

All Golden Meadows products are made from high quality natural raw materials, without preservatives and artificial colors. The production technology, compliance with state standards and the use of modern packaging make it possible to achieve the preservation of useful substances and trace elements, as well as a natural and pleasant taste.