Emma Miller
Scientists studied the data of two thousand people. According to a new global study, glassing milk every day can significantly reduce the risk of heart disease.
The research team also found that those who drink milk have lower cholesterol levels, which can block arteries and lead to heart attacks or strokes.
Those who drink milk every day reduced their risk of coronary heart disease by 14 percent, the study authors said.
By studying the health information of two million British and Americans, scientists found that people with a mutation that allows them to consume large amounts of milk are less prone to cardiovascular disease.
The new discovery comes on the heels of a growing body of evidence that dairy products can actually be good for your health. Previous studies have previously concluded that dairy products are bad.
Prof. Vimal Karani, lead author and nutritionist at the University of Reading said they found that among participants with the genetic variation we associated with higher milk consumption, they had higher BMI, and body fat, but importantly, lower levels of good nutrition and bad cholesterol. We also found that people with genetic variability had a significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease.
“All of this suggests that reducing milk consumption may not be necessary to prevent cardiovascular disease,” he says.
The international team could not find a link between regular milk consumption and high cholesterol.
When they combined data from the British Biobank study, the British Birth Cohort 1958, and the US Health and Retirement Study, the researchers found that those who drank more milk had lower blood fat levels.
However, the authors found that regular milk drinkers tended to have a higher body mass index (BMI) compared to non-drinkers.
The team from the University of Reading, the University of South Australia, the South Australian Institute of Health and Medical Research, the University College London, and the University of Auckland took a genetic approach to milk consumption.
They studied a variant of the lactase gene associated with the digestion of milk sugar, known as lactose, and found that those who carry this variant are a good way to identify those who consume more milk.
While obesity, diabetes, and other conditions that affect metabolism are also linked to excessive dairy consumption, Prof. Karani said there is no evidence that higher milk consumption increases the likelihood of diabetes.
It has long been known that milk helps to strengthen bone health and supplies the body with vitamins and proteins.
