Dairy products provide our body with important nutrients. At the same time, they have an impact on heart health. Depending on the product, these can be positive or negative.
Whether butter, milk or cheese: Dairy products are part of the daily menu for many people. The foods can have very different effects on heart health. Some of them may, for example, be at risk for one stroke lower it – others increase it. The results of an observational study by Norwegian scientists show which products have what effect.
Stroke: High milk consumption is linked to increased risk
Dairy products are not bad per se, on the contrary: They have many positive properties because they provide the body with vitamins, minerals, calcium and proteins. However, their effects on heart health can be different or even opposite. For her in the trade magazine European Journal of Preventive Cardiology published Study scientists asked people about the frequency of consumption of certain foods. However, the respondents were patients with stable angina pectoris – chest tightness where symptoms only occur under stress – which means that the results cannot be easily extrapolated to other groups of people. However, people who already have heart problems should take a critical look at their diet.
The majority (80 percent) of the participants were men, with an average age of 61.8 years. In addition to coronary heart disease, 47 percent of those surveyed suffered from high blood pressure (hypertension), 31 percent from Diabetes and 29 percent of the subjects were smokers. In addition, most drugs were taken: acetylsalicylic acid (90 percent), statins (90 percent), beta-blockers (77 percent). Lead author Vegard Lysne from the Center for Nutrition at the University of Bergen and the Department of Cardiology at the University Hospital Haukeland explained to the specialist portal Medscapethat dairy products are a “very heterogeneous food group” that should only be considered individually and not in combination.
Stroke: Study shows high consumption of dairy products increases risk and mortality
The researcher would therefore not only wish that future studies would evaluate dairy products more individually and not together, but also separated the foods in his own investigation. The results showed that higher consumption of milk and dairy products was associated with both a higher risk of stroke and increased mortality. On the other hand, consumption of butter is associated with an increased risk of heart attack, while cheese has a positive effect on the risk of acute myocardial infarction. Cheese can also help you lose weightwith French varieties being particularly suitable.
Qi Sun, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, also advocates an assessment of the individual foods. For example, yogurt consumption is associated with a lower risk of diabetes and heart disease. Eating yogurt every day can also lower your risk of stroke. Lysne also emphasized that the study is an observational study. Therefore, physicians should not change their recommendations based solely on these results. It all depends on the dose and a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and enough exercise.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.