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Yogurt intake decreased risk for type 2 diabetes
The consumption of yogurt has been associated with a decrease in the risk for type 2 diabetes development, according to research published in Diabetologia.
“This research highlights that specific foods may have an important role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes and are relevant for public health messages,” Nita Forouhi, PhD, of the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, said in a press release.
The nested case-cohort within the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk Study included a random sub-cohort (n=4,000) and patients with incident diabetes (n=892, including 143 in the sub-cohort), with a follow-up of 11 years, according to researchers.
Diets were measured using a prospective 7-day food diary to estimate patients’ total dairy intake (grams/day) and categorized into high-fat (≥3.9%) and low-fat (<3.9%) dairy, and by subtype into yogurt, cheese and milk. The researchers estimated the appropriate categories for combined fermented dairy products (ie, yogurt, cheese and sour cream), according to data.
The researchers found that dairy, high-fat dairy, milk, cheese and high-fat fermented dairy product intakes were not associated with the development of incident diabetes.
The consumption of low-fat dairy products were inversely associated with diabetes in age- and sex-adjusted analyses (HR=0.81; 95% CI, 0.66-0.98). Further adjustments weakened this relationship, researchers wrote.
Further data demonstrated an inverse association between diabetes and the consumption of low-fat fermented dairy products (HR=0.76; 95% CI, 0.6-0.99); this was even more evident with yogurt consumption (HR=0.72; 95% CI, 0.55-0.95), according to data from a multivariable adjusted analysis.
“At a time when we have a lot of other evidence that consuming high amounts of certain foods, such as added sugars and sugary drinks, is bad for our health, it is very reassuring to have messages about other foods like yogurt and low-fat fermented dairy products, that could be good for our health,” Forouhi said in the release.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.