Many myths about dairy have been debunked over the years, yet more myths continue to circulate due to well-funded commercial interests.
Dairy does not cause inflammation in the body for most people, and it is not necessary to drink milk during menopause to protect bones.
Having high cholesterol does not necessarily mean giving up dairy, and the current US government advice on milk is not considered good.
The belief that dairy foods are high in fat and linked to many allergies is a misconception, as well as the idea that dairy increases the risk of heart disease.
Dr. Sarah Berry and Prof. Tim Spector discuss the misconceptions around dairy and its impact on inflammation.
Dr. Sarah Berry explains that there's no evidence that overall dairy is related to inflammation, and that a small number of people with dairy allergies have led to overgeneralization.
Prof. Tim Spector highlights that population studies show people with higher dairy consumption have lower circulating inflammatory measures, and randomized control trials have shown that high dairy diets reduce inflammation.
Bone fragility fractures, or hip fracture, wrist fracture, fracture of your spine are common as you get older.
Milk drinkers have no protection against hip fracture compared to non-milk drinkers. Other sources of calcium like green leafy vegetables, kale, broccoli, and nuts are more accessible.
Consuming more dairy is associated with lower rates of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, better weight, and may be protective against some cancers.
There's no evidence that full-fat milk is more harmful compared to skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. Low-fat dairy has a favorable impact on health, but full-fat dairy also has some favorable impact.
Yogurt and cheese are packed with nutrients and have a special food structure that doesn't increase cholesterol. Fermented dairy has a more potent anti-inflammatory effect.
Small portions of fermented dairy like kefir, artisanal cheeses, and diverse cheeses are recommended for their health benefits. Standard supermarket cheddar is also beneficial. Soft cheese is not necessarily better than hard cheese.
Dr. Sarah Berry emphasizes that even dry acidic cheese can have as many microbes as wet ones, and even ultra-processed cheese like Philadelphia spread contains at least three detectable microbes.
Dr. Sarah Berry points out the differences between cheeses, stating that mozzarella and feta cheese are healthy with microbes, while ricotta and most cottage cheeses are pasteurized and lack microbes.
Jonathan Wolff summarizes that dairy, including milk, cheese, and yogurt, is not as bad as previously believed, and the fermentation process and presence of live bacteria make them healthy. He also highlights the lack of evidence supporting the health benefits of low-fat dairy products.
Jonathan Wolff expresses gratitude for the discussion on a difficult topic and looks forward to the follow-up on butter. He promotes Zoe's personalized nutrition program for improving health. The podcast is produced by Yella Hewings-Martin, Richard Willen, and Alex Jones at Zoe.