Is it time to change the guidelines recommending low fat milk?

WHEN it comes to dairy, you have the choice of skim or full fat and a plethora of options in the middle. But the question still lingers — which is best for your health and your waistline? For more than a decade health authorities have insisted adults go lean and ditch the cream. Even the latest dietary guidelines for Australians still make this message clear. But recent research, based on a large population study shows that full-fat dairy isn’t so bad for you after all — that is, full fat drinkers tend to weigh less and have a reduced risk of diabetes.  Before we criticise national dietary recommendations it’s important to understand why low fat dairy is still advised. Full cream dairy foods are a significant source of saturated fat and over the last few decades the focus has been on reducing this type of fat in our diets to stave off heart attacks — this meant all sources of saturated fat were evil, including full cream milk. However, it is now well known that not all fats are equal, and certain types of saturated fats don’t raise LDL cholesterol (as previously thought) — and if it comes from dairy, studies are now showing it may have a protective role.