Cheese, Yogurt May Keep Diabetes At Bay

CAMBRIDGE, United KingdomTheres good news on the dairy front. Eating just a few slices of cheese or a serving of yogurt may help reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes by 12%, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

European researchers conducted a study to investigate the prospective association of total dairy products and different dairy subtypes with incidence of diabetes in populations with marked variation of intake of these food groups.

They examined dietary patterns from 16,800 healthy adults and 12,400 diabetic patients who participated in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) and Nutrition study. They found participants who consumed a combination of fermented dairy products, such as cheese, yogurt and thick fermented milk, had a 12% reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The authors concluded the large prospective study found no association between total dairy product intake and diabetes risk. An inverse association of cheese intake and combined fermented dairy product intake with diabetes is suggested, which merits further study.