Dagens Medicin: "Yoghurt is good for the heart"

16Jun11

Dagens Medicin: “Yoghurt is good for the heart”
June 15, 2011

Eating a lot of yogurt and sour milk may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. That’s the conclusion drawn by Swedish researchers in a new study.

It is Emily Sonestedt, researcher in nutrition epidemiology at the University of Lund, and employees, who now has looked at how individual dairy products affect the risk of cardiovascular disease. In the study the scientists distinguished fermented milk – such as yogurt and sour milk – and non-fermented milk.

The results show that a high intake of dairy products in general was linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

When the researchers looked at the products separately, they saw a significant reduction in risk with a high intake of fermented dairy products. The third of the participants who ate the most yogurt and sour milk and such, had a 15 percent lower risk than those who do not at all eat such products. Eating a lot of cheese also meant lower risk – but only for women.

The researchers write that previous research has indicated that the composition of the gut flora is of great importance for the development of metabolic diseases. And that changes in the gut flora, due to for example the probiotic bacteria in yogurt, may be one reason for the protective effect.

In the study, the researchers used data for 26 445 persons between 44 and 77 years who participated in “the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study”. The participants had, among other things, answered questions about their dietary habits. They were followed for 12 years on average and had no diabetes or cardiovascular disease when the study began. 2520 of them had suffered from cardiovascular disease during follow-up period.

From the findings the researchers conclude that it is important to look at various dairy products separately when their potential health effects are evaluated.

The study was published in the journal “European Journal of Epidemiology”.

Link to the article in Swedish, written by Katrin Trysell

My comment:
Sour milk, or “Filmjölk” as it’s called, is a very popular breakfast choice in Sweden.  It usually contains 3% fat, but there’s also low-fat versions and an “old-fashioned” version with 3,8-4,5% fat.
Both yoghurt and sour milk can be a healthy part of your LCHF diet. Simply choose the full-fat products without added sugar, and eat it with some berries instead of sugary jams or cereals.

Picture 1 from www.photos.com, picture 2 from www.kostdoktorn.se

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Tags: cardiovascular disease, Dagens Medicin, dairy products, Emily Sonestedt, fermented milk, University of Lund, yoghurt