Newswise — A daily pint of milk or a serving of dairy foods protects against the development of the metabolic syndrome, suggests a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health (2007; 61: 695-8). The researchers conclude that dairy consumption can “markedly reduce” the prevalence of metabolic syndrome.

The metabolic syndrome has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, coronary artery disease, and premature death.

The findings are based on a representative sample of 2375 men aged between 45 and 59, all of whom were part of a long term study on health, known as the Caerphilly Prospective Study. The full study is available in full here as a free PDF:

Milk and dairy consumption, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome

Two or more out of the following metabolic parameters - high blood glucose, insulin, blood fats, body fat, and blood pressure - defined the presence of the metabolic syndrome in the men studied.

The men’s health was tracked over 20 years, during which time data from food questionnaires and weekly food diaries were used to assess how much milk and dairy foods the men consumed.

Around one in seven men (15%) had metabolic syndrome at entry into the study.

These men had almost double the risk of coronary artery heart disease and four times the risk of diabetes of those without metabolic syndrome. They were also almost 50% more likely to die early.

But those who regularly drank milk and ate dairy products, such as yogurt and cheese, were significantly less likely to have the syndrome.

Milk consumption has plummeted in the UK over the past 25 years, amid concerns about its impact on health, say the authors. But dairy products are part of a healthy diet and their consumption should be promoted, they suggested.

The men were 62% less likely to have metabolic syndrome if they drank a pint or more of milk every day, and 56% less likely to have it if they regularly ate other dairy produce.

And the more dairy produce the men consumed, the less likely were they to have metabolic syndrome.