Dairy products provide key nutrients for the body, such as calcium, which is essential for having healthy bones and preventing diseases such as osteoporosis. However, a study has warned about the possible risks associated with the consumption of unfermented milk for women, as it has found that those who drink more than 300 milliliters – the equivalent of a glass and a half – daily may be more likely to suffer from ischemic heart disease or a myocardial infarction.
A team of researchers from Uppsala University (Sweden) decided to analyze the relationship between the consumption of unfermented and fermented milk – such as yogurt or kefir – in relation to these diseases, and also investigate how milk consumption is related to plasma proteins. linked to cardiometabolic health.
The research was based on two large prospective studies conducted in Sweden that included 59,998 women and 40,777 men with no history of heart disease or cancer at baseline. Participants provided information about their diet and lifestyle, and levels of plasma proteins related to cardiovascular metabolism were measured in two subgroups. Over a follow-up of up to 33 years, 17,896 cases of ischemic heart disease were recorded, of which 10,714 were myocardial infarctions.
The results have been published in BMC Medicine and have revealed significant differences between men and women in the case of non-fermented milk. In women, it was found that as the consumption of unfermented milk increased above 1.5 glasses per day, the risk of ischemic heart disease or myocardial infarction also gradually increased.
No harmful effects were observed in fermented dairy products
Comparing a consumption of 0.5 glass (100 ml) per day, the consumption of 2 glasses per day in women was associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease, which continued to increase with three and four glasses per day, regardless of whether The milk was whole, semi-skimmed or skimmed. However, higher risks of ischemic heart disease were not observed in men with increasing milk consumption. Regarding fermented milk, its consumption was not related to an increased risk of ischemic heart disease in either men or women.
“The increased risk of high milk consumption only affected the women in the study, but not the men. Apparently, this was only noticeable from consumption amounts greater than 300 milliliters per day. The greater the volume of consumption, the greater the risk: compared to women who drank 100 milliliters of milk per day, women who consumed 400 milliliters had a 5% higher risk, and with 800 milliliters (four glasses) a 21% higher risk. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that a very high consumption of milk increases the risk of heart disease in women,” said Matthias Schulze, head of the Molecular Epidemiology department at the German Institute for Human Nutrition (DIfE) in Potsdam-Rehbrücke (Germany). ), who has not participated in the study, in statements to SMC Spain.
“Compared to women who drank 100 milliliters of milk a day, those who consumed 400 milliliters had a 5% higher risk.” [de cardiopatía]and with 800 milliliters (four glasses) a 21% higher risk”
This expert points out, however, that “since the increased risk was only observed at very high levels of consumption, which are more common in Scandinavia than elsewhere, the results are likely not to affect the majority of female consumers of other European countries.
Esther López-García, professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the Autonomous University of Madrid and member of the Nutrition Group of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology, has highlighted in statements to the same platform the beneficial properties of dairy products that have been found in previous studies: “Two recent meta-analyses of observational studies concluded that dairy consumption was associated with a lower risk of hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. In particular, the consumption of fermented dairy products had a more beneficial effect.”
The new study, however, “reaches conclusions contrary to previous evidence,” and the expert indicates that “a possible explanation for these results may be that the high consumption of dairy products in this Scandinavian country allows us to observe harmful effects that have not been observed.” possible to observe in countries with lower consumption.”
And he concludes that “rather than focusing on these results, it is advisable to adhere to the current dietary recommendations for the Spanish population published by the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition, which suggest consumption of up to three dairy products a day, fermented if there is intolerance to lactose, as a source of protein and calcium, avoiding those with added sugars and high salt content.”
