Yoghurt and cheese could reduce type 2 diabetes risk

A study by Sweden’s Lund University has found that consuming high-fat yoghurt and cheese could lead to a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as a fifth.

The study also claims that high consumption of meat can lead to an increase in the risk.

Ulrika Ericson, who conducted the study, said: "Those who ate the most high-fat dairy products had a 23 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who ate the least. High meat consumption was linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of the fat content of the meat."

Researchers from the university studied the eating habits of 27,000 people between the ages 45 and 74 who took part in the Malmö Diet and Cancer study in the early 1990s. After twenty years, it was found that close to 2,860 people, almost 10%, had developed type 2 diabetes

The university conducted the study to discover what role fat in food played in the development of type 2 diabetes, and took into consideration different sources of saturated fat.

"When we investigated the consumption of saturated fatty acids that are slightly more common in dairy products than in meat, we observed a link with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. However, we have not ruled out the possibility that other components of dairy products, such as yoghurt and cheese may have contributed to our results.

"We have taken into account many dietary and lifestyle factors in our analysis, such as fermentation, calcium, vitamin D and physical activity. However, there may be other factors that we have not been able to measure that are shared by those who eat large quantities of high-fat dairy products.

"Our results suggest that we should not focus solely on fat, but rather consider what foods we eat. Many foodstuffs contain different components that are harmful or beneficial to health, and it is the overall balance that is important."

The university has published the findings of the study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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Image: Consumption of high-fat yoghurt and cheese have been linked to a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes by a fifth. Photo: courtesy of Miriam Preis/imagebank.sweden.se.