Plenary 3: Dairy Foods and Health Sponsored by Dairy Australia Dairy consumption and cardiometabolic health

Background – Dairy products such as milk, yoghurt and cheese are nutritious sources of protein, vitamins and minerals including calcium, vitamin D, potassium and peptides. The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend two to three daily servings of dairy as part of a balanced diet to deliver these nutrients. However concern remains about the saturated fat content of dairy and its potential to raise blood cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease which has impacted adversely on consumption. Review – To date there is no conclusive evidence from epidemiological data that dairy consumption is linked with increased risk of CV disease. In fact a number of epidemiological studies, observational studies and intervention studies have independently shown that dairy intake can improve several CV risk factors including insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, obesity and high blood pressure (1,2). The Dietary Approaches to stop Hypertension (DASH) Study which included low fat dairy consumption led to reductions in blood pressure in both normotensive and hypertensive volunteers and improvements in insulin sensitivity (3). These risk factors commonly cluster as Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) which carries an almost three-fold increase in the risk of CV morbidity and mortality. It is estimated that 25-30 % of Australian adults have MetS and the prevalence of this condition continues to increase in conjunction with the obesity epidemic. The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study showed that dairy consumption was inversely associated with the incidence of MetS among individuals who were overweight a