Full-fat dairy products linked to lower weight

[djorg]

http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html

Full-fat dairy products linked to lower weight

Last Updated: 2007-01-02 10:13:22 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Though health-conscious eaters often shun whole milk, a new study suggests that adults who favor full-fat dairy gain less weight over time.

Swedish researchers found that among more than 19,000 middle-aged women, those who had at least one serving of whole milk or cheese each day put on less weight over the next 9 years than women who consumed these foods less often.

The potential role of dairy foods in weight control won much attention after some recent studies suggested that milk, yogurt and other dairy foods might help regulate body fat. However, the picture is far from clear, as other research has failed to find that dairy products benefit the waistline.

The new findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, are unlikely to clear up the confusion.

For one thing, only whole milk, and not low-fat milk, seemed to offer protection against weight gain. For another, the benefit was seen only among women who were normal-weight at the start of the study.

It's always possible that the associations between dairy intake and weight gain do not reflect a direct action of dairy foods at all, according to Dr. Magdalena Rosell, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and the study's lead author.

Eating habits can be seen as a marker of overall lifestyle, and women who favored whole milk might have had other habits that aided their weight control, Rosell told Reuters Health.

It's also possible that women who had already been gaining weight opted to drink low-fat milk -- making the milk a "marker," but not a cause, of weight gain, according to Rosell.

The findings are based on data from 19,352 women ages 40 to 55 who were surveyed about their diets, weight and other health factors at the study's outset and again 9 years later.

Women who said they had whole milk or cheese at least once a day throughout the study period were less likely to report a significant weight gain -- defined as 2 pounds or more per year.

One theory on why dairy products have been linked to lower body weight is that the calcium aids in fat regulation, but a number of studies have refuted that notion. The new findings cast further doubt, since low-fat milk showed no positive weight effects.

It's possible, according to Rosell, that a type of fat found in dairy foods called conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, aids in weight control.

However, she added, there's not enough evidence yet to support that idea. At this point, there's no reason, Rosell said, for people to eschew the general advice to choose low-fat dairy products, which are lower in artery-clogging saturated fats.

"From what we know today, I do not see any reasons to change that recommendation," she said.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2006.

[Lessara]

I would love to see in stores full fat no sugar yogurts, milk has enought "sugar" I was a total flop at making my own yogurt :/
for me fat makes me not want to eat much. It fills me.

[relliott1]

Lessara, see if you can find Greek yogurt at a health or specialty store near you, if you have one. I buy a full fat Greek yogurt at my local Trader Joe's (health food/natural food type store). It has about 3 carbs per serving. It tastes a lot stronger than traditional sugary yogurt, but I have grown to really like it. I especially like to mix some blueberries in with it for breakfast when they are in season. :yum:

[ReginaW]

I would love to see in stores full fat no sugar yogurts, milk has enought "sugar" I was a total flop at making my own yogurt :/
for me fat makes me not want to eat much. It fills me.

Almost all of the "organic" brands offer a full-fat (whole milk) based plain option.....add your own berries or some sugar-free syrup if you'd like it sweeter than it is on it's own :thup:

[Demokat]

I would love to see in stores full fat no sugar yogurts, milk has enought "sugar" I was a total flop at making my own yogurt :/
for me fat makes me not want to eat much. It fills me.


Hi Lessara,

I couldn't make my own yogurt either. :( I don't know where you are in NH, but Trader Joe's on the Tyngsboro/Nashua line carries full fat plain Greek-style yogurt that is 6 carbs per cup. It's delicious! They carry both their own brand and Fage, which I think is a little bit creamier than the TJ's brand.

[gryfonclaw]

A Trader Joe's just opened near me, so it's good to hear that I can get no-sugar plain yogurt there!

[dina1957]

I would love to see in stores full fat no sugar yogurts, milk has enought "sugar" I was a total flop at making my own yogurt :/
for me fat makes me not want to eat much. It fills me.
TJ's sells delicious Cream Line yougurt, and Total (green yougurt, thick as sour cream), both very good, about 8 g carbs per cup in greek yougurt. Full fat milkl has the same number of carbs as yougurt, it is all about % of fat: the more than , the less cabrs. Nancy's full fat cream top yougurt is good too, I buy it in SW.

[dina1957]

Hi Lessara,

I couldn't make my own yogurt either. :( I don't know where you are in NH, but Trader Joe's on the Tyngsboro/Nashua line carries full fat plain Greek-style yogurt that is 6 carbs per cup. It's delicious! They carry both their own brand and Fage, which I think is a little bit creamier than the TJ's brand.
I love total better too, but I think it is 8 g carbs per cup, well it does not matter much to me. This yougurt taste same as full fat sour cream, not less.:)

[Demokat]

I love total better too, but I think it is 8 g carbs per cup, well it does not matter much to me. This yougurt taste same as full fat sour cream, not less.:)

It's also much more expensive than the TJ's brand. Fage Total is almost like a dessert, it's so rich!

[arc]

I would love to see in stores full fat no sugar yogurts, milk has enought "sugar" I was a total flop at making my own yogurt :/
for me fat makes me not want to eat much. It fills me.

I buy the plain, full-fat Brown Cow yogurt and add a scoop of vanilla protein powder and a little Splenda, mix it up with a mixer and then repackage it in those cheap 1 cup tupperware containers.

[ysabella]

OMG, arc, why didn't I think of that? Seriously!! Plain yogurt with my protein powder (which already has AS in it).

Duh, me. I will have to try that posthaste!

[Talmidah]

Shock Horror!!!

Being English I was particularly stunned when I heard on my favorite talk show today that advertisers in England are going to BAN advertisements promoting cheese during children's programs. I could not believe it!!! On the grounds that it contains too much fat!!!

Cheese is healthy, not cheetos (though I am an avid potato chip lover, and I love any cheese flavored chip) this is outrageous!!!

I have just starting basking in a low carb diet, and cannot believe the amount of carbs there are in food. I am sure I am not the only one that zooms in on the carb count on food products. It is an addiction now!!! :agree:

Fats are not the problem as I see it.

I do not think they have banned coke or others such beverages though!! Go figure!!!

[Angeline]

I think if they could stop ALL advertisements aimed at children that would be a Good Thing TM. So I'm not about to get excited over this bit of news.

[ReginaW]

Shock Horror!!!

Being English I was particularly stunned when I heard on my favorite talk show today that advertisers in England are going to BAN advertisements promoting cheese during children's programs. I could not believe it!!! On the grounds that it contains too much fat!!!


Of course it's the fat :bash: it's always the fat :confused: fat makes you fat :rolleyes: it has 9-calories per gram for heavens sake :yawn: you gotta get with the program! :daze:

[Wyvrn]

My fav yogurt (back when I was eating dairy) was Strauss whole milk plain. Amazing stuff. I've only seen it at my local food co-op but TJ's or Whole Foods might have it too.

[Wildflowr6]

Oh, how I wish we had a Trader Joe's........I'll check my local HFS for Greek yogurt, it sounds amazing.

[mike_d]

At this point, there's no reason, Rosell said, for people to eschew the general advice to choose low-fat dairy products, which are lower in artery-clogging saturated fats.I am so glad the fat-free dogma appears safe for now :rolleyes: That was close!

Brown Cow in the small cups is not bad, I bought a quart and it was runny-- I just used it to culture homemade which is always way better. They rush that commercial stuff out like cottage cheese it has poor quality control or is mishandled in shipping.

If yogurt fails its most likely due to low temperature (it needs 44C or 111F for 8-12 hrs) or a poor yogurt starter, I use fresh or frozen Brown Cow or Stonyfield Farm yogurt. Also it must set in the fridge overnight undisturbed.

[probiotic]

I share the frustration at the dairy aisles being 95% full of low fat garbage milk. I do love FAGE but mostly make my own, using half and half no less!

Folks, making your own yogurt is not that hard except for the first few tries, which usually fail and lead to discouragement. It takes a few tries to get a feel for it, but here is a great link that explains the process whether or not you care about the SC-Diet (which I adapted for my purposes regarding intestinal illness). For minimal lactose and thus carbs, the 24 hour fermentation is recommended, but you can make yogurt equal to or better than the fantastic FAGE Greek yogurt by fermenting for as little as 15 hours (FAGE uses that, as opposed to the typical 4-6 hours of standard commercial yogurt) and then optionally straining the result through cheesecloth if you want that thick FAGE-like consistency.

Here is the SC-diet link to making yogurt either with a yogurt maker or using your own oven...
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.com/gettingstarted/yogurt.html

The one thing I'd add though is that it is vital to get the yogurt to incubate at 110 (say 107-110 range) to get the best product, in my experience- some yogurt makers, even great ones, can get too hot, so you have to play around (I even use a lamp 'dimmer switch' plug to adjust it exactly to 110 as indicated on the thermometer I keep in the yogurt.)

And if all else fails, by all means get that wonderful FAGE stuff - it is even starting to show up in some non-organic chain supermarkets.

[dina1957]

It's also much more expensive than the TJ's brand. Fage Total is almost like a dessert, it's so rich!
it is rich, since it is 4% milk fat. Most plain yougurts are actually only 2%, and low fat is 1%. I have heard that Helios organic makes delicious kefir from life grains ( I need to find someone who will share the grains, so I will make my own) and they sell Helios in whole foods. I am planing to buy some and see if it is really that good. I also buy LifeWay plain organic kefir, that is very good too.
You can make cheap greek style yougurt by straining plain full fat yougurt overnight, using coffee filter or cheese clothes too. it will be as creamy and rich as Total. I eat 1/2 cup for BF with bran cracker and it keeps me full until lunch.

[dina1957]

I am so glad the fat-free dogma appears safe for now :rolleyes: That was close!

Brown Cow in the small cups is not bad, I bought a quart and it was runny-- I just used it to culture homemade which is always way better. They rush that commercial stuff out like cottage cheese it has poor quality control or is mishandled in shipping.

If yogurt fails its most likely due to low temperature (it needs 44C or 111F for 8-12 hrs) or a poor yogurt starter, I use fresh or frozen Brown Cow or Stonyfield Farm yogurt. Also it must set in the fridge overnight undisturbed.
I used to make my own for long time, and the key is to make sure the milk is just right temperature. if it is not hot enough, yougurt will be too runny, if it is too hot - you will end up with cottage cheese. I use this method: put your finger tio in the milk and make sure you can count to 10! The pour the milk into a jar with enoguh starter, cover with old blanket and keep it until it is very thick and not runny, all the way to the top. Then place immediately in fridge, let it sit overnight and enjoy.
Lately, I like kefir more than yougurt, and looking to buy live kefir grains, since I did not have much success with freeze-dried cultures.

[ysabella]

A friend of mine has a Turkish food blog, and she started it with a recipe for homemade yogurt (http://www.yogurtland.com/2005/03/29/yogurt/).
Alton Brown's recipe for yogurt (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_19495,00.html) uses a heating pad to control the warmth.

:yum:

[dina1957]

A friend of mine has a Turkish food blog, and she started it with a recipe for homemade yogurt (http://www.yogurtland.com/2005/03/29/yogurt/).
Alton Brown's recipe for yogurt (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_19495,00.html) uses a heating pad to control the warmth.

:yum:
I prefer to bundle the jar in old blanket, this coveres the entire jar nicely,a dn produces best results.
EDA: the turkish recipe is similar to mine, I just use my finger to chekc the temperature, but thanks, I will use thermometer now. BTW, the use overall cover too. No yougurt makes requred.;)

[LeaLee]

i've heard that carbs listed on yogurt containers are not accurate. Something about the bacteria in the yogurt using all the dairy sugar (CARBS) as energy. Manufacturers have to calculate carbs based what was put in...not what we actually end up with.

Anyone else come across this? I would love some documentation to to back this up....yogurt is awesome!

[SidC]

Here's the explanation I found. I don't have any expertise in this area, but the argument makes intuitive sense:The problem with the stated carbohydrate content on the packages of fermented food products arises because the government makes manufacturers count the carbohydrates of food "by difference." That means they measure everything else including water and ash and fats and proteins. Then "by difference," they assume everything else is carbohydrate. This works quite well for most foods including milk. However, to make yogurt, buttermilk and kefir, the milk is inoculated with the lactic acid bacteria. These bacteria use up almost all the milk sugar called "lactose" and convert it into lactic acid. It is this lactic acid which curds the milk and gives the taste to the product. Since these bacteria have "eaten" most of the milk sugar by the time you buy it (or make it yourself.) At the time you eat it, how can there be much carbohydrate left? It is the lactic acid which is counted as carbohydrate. Therefore, you can eat up to a half cup of plain yogurt, buttermilk, or kefir and only count 2 grams of carbohydrates (Dr. Goldberg has measured this in his own laboratory.) One cup will contain about 4 grams of carbohydrates.(From Low Carb Luxury: The Yogurt Exception (http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/yogurt.html))

[Samuel]

Since I was a child, I have been the only one in my family who cannot stand eating rich food and the only one who is overweight. I have been always talking about that as a mystry which I have no answer for. Thanks to Dr. Atkins, I have recently found the answer but unfortunately, it came too late!

[LeaLee]

Thanks for the yogurt quote SidC. I was starting to think Ihad just made it up!
:lol: