Health benefits of fermented dairy products
Milk and dairy products are important nutrient-dense components of a healthy diet. They can provide essential vitamins, minerals, macronutrients and micronutrients essential for growth, development and tissue maintenance.
Milk is a great source of protein (8 grams in every cup) but also provides calcium for strong bones, vitamin D to help your body absorb calcium, potassium for normal heart function and fluid balance, magnesium for energy metabolism, phosphorus (another mineral that supports healthy bones), riboflavin (vitamin B2—essential for red blood cell production), iodine (to make thyroid hormone), choline (for memory and normal cell structure), selenium (an antioxidant that helps prevent free radical damage inside cells), zinc (important for immune function and male reproductive health).
The negative perception of dairy comes from the effort to reduce dietary saturated fats intake due to their association with increased cholesterol levels upon consumption and the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
As a result, the consumption of dairy products fairly high in saturated fats was considered damaging to our cardiovascular health.
But, recent findings have indicated that the link between saturated fats and CVD may be less clear than previously assumed.
Recent research trends indicate that dairy products have a neutral or even a positive effect on cardiovascular health, contrary to previous assumptions.
In particular, fermented dairy products, such as yoghurt, kefir and cheese, have mainly positive effects on cardiovascular health and might be even more beneficial than non-fermented dairy products.
It is likely that the fermentation process leads to the structural change of fats and proteins in cheese, yoghurt and kefir, which might explain the observed positive effects.
Most importantly, fermented dairy products tend to reduce inflammation more than non-fermented products, which may explain the more significant health benefits of fermented dairy consumption than non-fermented dairy products. Evidence suggests that systemic inflammation is the crucial driver of atherosclerosis and damage to the heart muscle.
Fermented dairy products deliver probiotics, which are microorganisms that are alive when they arrive in the gut and have the potential for therapeutic and protective health benefits.
Increased consumption of fermented dairy foods is associated with reduced LDL cholesterol, reduced hypertension risk and CVD risk.
Yoghurt consumption has also been shown to increase HDL levels and decrease the LDL/HDL ratio. Also, kefir has been associated with several positive effects on blood lipid profiles in animal models.
Cheese consumption has been associated with a significantly reduced risk of stroke and heart disease. Similar effects have been observed in yoghurts, a diverse complex nutrient-rich matrix also associated with a lower incident risk of CVD. Several studies have shown an association between consuming yoghurt or fermented milk and improved heart health and reduced risk of stroke. These effects may be due to healthier fat levels in the blood and reduced blood pressure.
Fermented dairy products are an excellent source of vitamin K. A growing body of evidence suggests that vitamin K has beneficial effects on cardiovascular health. Vitamin K is essential to blood clotting and coagulation. Vitamin K is also involved in the regulation of bone and soft tissue calcification, cell growth and proliferation, cognition, inflammation and oxidative processes. Compared to other foods, fermented dairy and other animal products have a high content of vitamin K. Fermented dairy products, in particular cheese, yoghurt and kefir, contain large amounts of vitamin K.
Fermented dairy has a unique nutritional composition compared to milk; it has a lower lactose content (20% to 30% less than milk, making it a good option for individuals with lactose intolerance) and greater vitamin and mineral content, such as Vitamin D, riboflavin, vitamin B 12, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and others, resulting from specific production and fermentation procedures.
Hence, fermented dairy products such as yoghurt, cheese, and kefir could be a healthy choice for optimal nutrient intake and protection against cardiovascular disease (CVD).
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References:
Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier, Julie Anne Côté, Marie-Ève Labonté, Didier Brassard, Maude Tessier-Grenier, Sophie Desroches, Patrick Couture, Benoît Lamarche, Comprehensive Review of the Impact of Dairy Foods and Dairy Fat on Cardiometabolic Risk, Advances in Nutrition, Volume 7, Issue 6, November 2016, Pages 1041–1051, https://doi.org/10.3945/an.115.011619
Lordan, R., Tsoupras, A., Mitra, B., & Zabetakis, I. (2018). Dairy Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: Do We Really Need to be Concerned?. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 7(3), 29. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7030029
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