Yoghurt could cut diabetes risk
10 February 2014 09:04
Eating yoghurt may help cut your risk of diabetes, experts say
Eating yoghurt may help cut the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, experts say.
Scientists found that regular consumption of the dairy product reduced the chances of developing the disease by 28%.
Meanwhile eating other low-fat fermented dairy foods such as cottage cheese and fromage frais was also shown to have a health benefit.
Taken together, they cut the odds of becoming diabetic by nearly a quarter (24%) over an 11-year period, the study of more than 4,000 people showed.
Lead scientist Nita Forouhi, of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at Cambridge University, said the research showed that specific foods could have a crucial role in the prevention of the disease, and were "relevant for public health messages".
She continued: "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 yoghurt and low-fat fermented dairy products, that could be good for our health."
Diabetes is a lifelong condition that means an individual's blood sugar becomes too high. For those who do have the condition,
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Dairy products are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. However they also contain saturated fat which is known to raise cholesterol levels and damage the heart and arteries.
The link between eating dairy and Type 2 diabetes has remained unclear after previous research proved inconclusive.
Scientists looked at participants in the Epic-Norfolk study, which investigated links between diet and cancer in more than 25,000 men and women in the county.
They compiled a detailed daily log of the food and drink consumed over a week by 4,255 participants, including 753 who developed diabetes over an 11-year period.
The findings appear in the latest edition of the Diabetologia journal, published by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes.