Diet High in Dairy Products Reduces Risk
of Insulin Resistance
posted 07/24/02
Overweight people who consume a diet high in dairy
products were 72% less likely than those with a low-dairy diet to develop
insulin resistance syndrome (IRS).
Overweight adults who consume dairy products were
less likely to be insulin resistant and may lower their risk of type 2 diabetes
and cardiovascular disease, according to a report by researchers in the U.S.
"Although diet has been postulated
to influence insulin resistance syndrome, the independent effects of dairy
consumption on development of this syndrome have not been investigated," said
M.A. Pereira, Children's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues.
Characteristics of insulin
resistance syndrome (IRS) include commonly known risk factors for
cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes such as obesity, glucose intolerance,
high blood pressure, and high blood lipid concentrations. Pereira and associates
examined the relationships between a diet high in dairy products and the
incidence of these risk factors.
Researchers obtained data from the
multicenter Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study
involving 3157 adults, ages 18-30 years. Study participants were followed for 10
years (1985-1986 to 1995-1996). They were classified as overweight if they had a
body mass index (BMI) of at least 25 kg/m2.
An analysis of the data revealed
that consumption of dairy products was inversely related to all IRS
characteristics in the overweight population but not in the lean group. Results
were not affected by sex or race (Dairy consumption, obesity, and the insulin
resistance syndrome in young adults: The CARDIA study, Journal of the American
Medical Association, 2002;287(16):2081-2089).
Overweight individuals who consumed
the highest amount of dairy products were 72% less likely to develop IRS
(defined as two or more characteristics) than those who consumed the least
amount of dairy products. Likelihood of developing IRS dropped 21% with each
daily dairy serving.
The amounts of minor or major
nutrients could not account for the significance of the relationship between
dairy intake and IRS.
Key points reported in this study
include:
* Overweight people who consume a
diet high in dairy products were 72% less likely than those with a low-dairy
diet to develop insulin resistance syndrome (IRS).
* Among overweight people, each
daily serving of a dairy product reduced the risk of IRS by 21%.
* The amount of dairy products
consumed by lean individuals was not related to the risk of IRS.
Source: Diabetes In Control Dot Com.