Historically whole milk has had a bad rep. For decades, the U.S. dietary guidelines have advised consumers stick to low-fat dairy in order to avoid heart disease. New research, however, contradicts the federal government’s assumption that whole milk is linked to heart disease. In fact, the most recent findings show that those who drink full-fat milk had lower incidence of heart disease. 

“What we’ve learned over the last decade is that certain foods that are high in fat seem to be beneficial,” Marcia Otto, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas, told the Washington Post. She also noted that, by warning people against whole-milk dairy foods, the government is “losing a huge opportunity for the prevention of disease.”

The whole milk controversy arises specifically around saturated fats, which are strongly associated with meat and dairy products. But are they contributors to heart disease? With heart disease the front-running cause for mortality in the U.S., this is a huge, heavy question for the federal government. So it makes sense that the Dietary Guidelines might remain stuck in their full-fat–averse ways.

But the notion that rejecting saturated fat automatically makes people healthier has not been fully proven. What’s more, clinical trials and observational studies have resulted in evidence that disproves it. As the Post reports, standard Dietary Guidelines have typically removed saturated fats and replaced them with excess carbohydrates, which are marketed as “low fat.” This does not in any way reduce heart risk. More recently, that advice has flipped to become: Reduce saturated fats and replace them with unsaturated fats.

But cardiologist and epidemiologist Dariush Mozaffarian​ says that this ideology needs to change further—to strip away the perception of saturated fat as a “dietary evil.” He explains that judging a product based on its fat content completely blinds consumers to its benefits. “There’s no evidence that the reduction of saturated fats should be a priority,” Mozaffarian, who is also dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, added.

These reports arrive just after Florida State ruled skim milk as “imitation” milk because it is considered “nutritionally inferior.” So tell us: Will you make the switch from reduced-fat to full-fat milk? ​

By: Rheanna O’Neil Bellamo
Source: Delish.com