What's the Deal with Dairy?
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
In recent years, non-dairy alternatives have exploded in popularity, while dairy has fallen out of fashion. Part of this shift is related to confusion and fear around the health consequences of dairy products.
Diet culture makes us think in extremes and leads us to believe that foods are either good or bad. When it comes to dairy, there’s no one size fits all answer to its health impacts; yet, the fear mongering around it can be intense.
In this blog, we’ll share dairy’s nutritional value and shed some light on its impacts on skin health, gastrointestinal issues, and heart disease.
Dairy Nutrition Facts
Dairy is a great source of calcium, which is essential for bone health, and vitamin D, which is important for calcium absorption and normal immune system function. It’s also a high quality source of complete protein, meaning it has all nine essential amino acids our bodies need.
The macronutrient (carbs, protein, fat) content of dairy products varies based on which product you’re having. Dairy milk is generally a well-rounded source of macronutrients, containing carbohydrates, protein, and fat, while cheese tends to be pretty low in carbs and higher in fat.
The fat content of dairy also varies greatly based on the product you purchase. Most dairy products are sold in fat-free, low-fat, reduced-fat, and full fat varieties.
The fat in dairy is mainly saturated fat, which can increase cholesterol levels if consumed in excess, so if you have high cholesterol you may want to be mindful of your total saturated fat intake.
The fat also adds creaminess, so if you’re using dairy milk for your coffee, you may want a higher fat option to give it the creaminess you desire.
Dairy and Skin Health
One common reason people limit dairy is concerns around acne. However, the American Academy of Dermatology’s official guidelines for managing acne state that there’s not enough evidence to recommend a low-dairy diet for treating acne.
Additionally, there aren’t any randomized control trials (the gold standard for research) on this subject. There are only observational studies that observe patterns of dairy consumption and how they correlate to acne rates and severity.
For example, a 2022 systematic review in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that higher dairy consumption may increase acne in select but not all populations. Since the studies are observational, we can’t even be sure if it’s the dairy of other factors that cause acne for select groups.
For example, disordered eating isn’t controlled for, yet it can impact someone’s overall eating pattern (not just dairy consumption) and hormone health.
It’s also worth considering how stress over foods (like dairy) might be impacting physical symptoms. Read our blog on the nocebo effect to learn more.
Dairy and Digestive Health
Another common concern about dairy is gastrointestinal distress. Dairy truly does result in digestive distress for individuals with lactose intolerance, but for most others, there’s nothing to suggest it’s harmful.
Lactose intolerance isn’t typically harmful, but it causes unpleasant symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, abdominal cramps, and bloating after eating lactose, per the NIH. It happens when your body doesn’t produce enough lactase—the enzyme required to digest lactose, the sugar found in dairy.
That being said, the severity of lactose intolerance depends on the person. Some people may be able to tolerate dairy products with a lower lactose content—such as hard cheeses or cultured yogurt—or small amounts of dairy products.
If you’re lactose intolerant but want to be sure you get the nutrients in dairy, products like kefir or ultra-filtered milk are lactose-intolerance friendly and full of nutrition.
Dairy and Cardiovascular Health
Some people worry that dairy increases heart disease risk. Yet, guidelines from the American Heart Association don’t recommend limiting dairy; instead, they recommend opting for low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
Even this recommendation is up for debate. A 2023 study in the European Heart Journal found that a diet rich in fruits, veggies, nuts, legumes, fish, and up to two servings per day of full-fat dairy was associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk.
Of course, this study was observational and can’t determine that this diet caused better heart health, but it definitely calls into question the health impacts of full-fat dairy.
That being said, if you have high cholesterol, reducing your saturated fat intake is recommended by the American Heart Association, as we mentioned above. Dairy products are a source of saturated fat, but opting for fat-free or low-fat dairy products means you’ll be getting little to no saturated fat.
Also, consider how much saturated fat you’re getting in overall and what your taste preferences are. Do you really love full-fat dairy? If so, are there other sources of saturated fat in your diet you’d rather adjust?
If you aren’t already, you might also consider working with a registered dietitian to get individualized support in managing your health.
Final Thoughts
Despite lots of fear mongering around dairy, there isn’t evidence to support its harms on health. Even if you’re lactose intolerant, there are certain forms of dairy you can likely tolerate. Remember, dairy contains important nutrients and is a valuable food group to include in your overall eating pattern.
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