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Link Between a Dairy-Rich Diet and Increased Weight Loss Divides Scientists

Posted on: Monday, 18 July 2005, 15:00 CDT

Got milk? And high hopes it will help you shed a few pounds?

The dairy industry is counting on it, thanks in part to a $200 million ad campaign that confidently touts studies suggesting a connection between consuming dairy products and losing weight.

But dieters might want to delay sporting milk mustaches for the moment.

Though the National Dairy Council and the researchers it pays stand by their claims, few others have endorsed the dairy-diet link. Even some scientists whose research supports that idea say its conclusions are premature.

"The bulk of the studies suggest a possible role, but there are inconsistencies in the data," said Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity expert at Children's Hospital Boston. In a 2002 study, he found that dairy aided weight loss.

"My concern is the advertising claims by the Dairy Council have well outstripped the available data," he said.

Those claims have received wide attention since 2003, when a coalition of dairy groups launched what has become the "3-A-Day" campaign, which advises that three servings a day of dairy supports weight loss.

The federal government also recommends three dairy servings a day, but doesn't support the weight-loss claim.

The dairy campaign is based on research by Michael Zemel, a nutrition professor who began studying the link between dairy and weight during the late 1980s. Since 2000, he has published several studies that found people who eat a lower-calorie diet and consume the recommended low- or nonfat dairy servings lose nearly twice the weight as those who only cut calories.

Ludwig suspects it's not the dairy itself, but how it interacts with the diet.

Perhaps people who drink milk instead of soda, for example, eat fewer calories because milk is more filling. That also means that healthy eaters could end up with too many calories overall if dairy replaces healthy, lower-calorie foods, Ludwig says.* What we know: Dairy is a good source of calcium, potassium, vitamin D and protein. Federal dietary guidelines encourage adults and children 9 and older to eat three servings a day of low- or nonfat dairy.

* What is uncertain: Some studies suggest combining dairy with a low-calorie diet produces greater weight loss. Other studies suggest the opposite or no effect.

* Why the contradiction? It might not be dairy itself that affects weight, but how it interacts with the rest of the diet. Milk drinkers also tend to be healthier overall, which could influence the results.

-- The Associated PressDebunking dairy

Source: Daily Breeze

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