It's OK again to drink milk!

May 10 2005

In yet more advice on what and what not to eat, now it seems that milk after all is OK for us as long as it's low-fat.

In the on-going battle over dairy products, which often appears to be an ideological one centered on whether humans should be consuming milk from cows or any other animal at all, a new study has examined data from an ongoing study of more than 40,000 male doctors, pharmacists and other health professionals.

The study, which is led by doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health arrived at the conclusion that regular consumption of low-fat dairy products such as skim milk or low-fat yogurt, slightly decreases a man's risk of developing type II diabetes.

The effect though modest was consistent whether or not study participants were physically active, overweight or had a family history of diabetes.

Previous studies have shown that low-fat dairy products, as part of a diet that's rich in fruits and vegetables, also helps to reduce high blood pressure.

The latest study is published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.