Harvard Scientist Urges People To Stop Drinking Low Fat Milk

Low fat dairy might seem like the ideal choice to retain in your diet, but it’s far from being the healthy option. A Harvard scientist, David Ludwig, is urging individuals to be aware of the dangers of low fat milk. He claims it is better to go back to the full-bodied variety, and here are the reasons why.

Obesity

There’s word going around that full-fat milk can make you gain weight – which is why a lot of people are going for ‘skim-slim’ milk. Studies show, however, that this is not true. There’s actually a benefit in using full-fat milk in that those who consume full-fat often have an easier time maintaining their weight.

Heart Problems

Full-fat milk also contains a healthy dose of phytanic acid, which helps maintain insulin levels and blood pressure. There’s also conjugated linolic acid in the milk known for reducing the risks of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Consume this on a daily basis and you’ll be able to lower the risks of these 4 common health issues all at once.

Special Vitamins

Some vitamins and minerals are hard to come by in a person’s typical diet. These include retinol and vitamin K2 which are known as fat-soluble vitamins. They’re available through full-fat milk though, and should make your diet more comprehensive.

Dental Health

When it comes to healthier teeth and gums, milk is often a cited ‘must’ in your diet. Unfortunately, teeth health is only benefited through full-fat milk.

Drinking the skim variety won’t really give you any type of benefit. At least nowhere near what full-fat can provide. If you’re partial to low-fat chocolate milk, that actually makes things worse. The blended variety already contains loads of sugar which would only promote tooth decay.

What About Calcium?

There’s no question that both skim milk and full-fat milk contain calcium for better bone health. Hence, if you’re drinking milk primarily for this purpose, then the need to ‘switch’ may not be as prevalent. Bear in mind, however, that calcium is a relatively common mineral in various types of food.

Green and leafy vegetables are packed with calcium in amounts definitely higher than milk. The unique properties of full-fat however, are better than skim milk and should be taken into account, and if you’re going to drink one, it makes sense to choose the type that offers more with each gulp.

Saturated Fats

It’s a common mistake to think that ‘full fat’ as written in milk is the same as the ‘fat’ that’s attached to the body. They’re two completely different things and saturated fats which can be found in full-fat milk are actually desirable.

Replacing saturated fats with ‘alternatives’ can lead to various problems such as increased instances of obesity, lower amounts of good cholesterol, increased bad cholesterol, and increased chances of coronary heart disease.

So when scientists talk about the benefits of milk, they’re actually talking about the full-fat variety. Simply put, the dangers of low fat dairy involve doing yourself out of numerous vitamins and minerals. Bear in mind though that ‘low fat’ isn’t limited to milk as there are also cheese products advertised under the same label.

Sources: Real Farmacy, Chris Kresser, and Jama Network.

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Harvard Scientist Urges People To Stop Drinking Low Fat Milk