Revolutionizing Dietary Guidelines: Trump Administration May Endorse Full-Fat Dairy Over Skim Milk for Health Benefits
The forthcoming dietary guidelines from the Trump administration are set to challenge long-held advice on whole milk and high-fat dairy products. For decades, Americans have been encouraged to opt for low-fat or fat-free dairy options due to concerns about limiting saturated fat intake. However, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has promised to reverse this stance, promoting whole milk, cheese, and yogurt instead.
The debate over the health implications of full-fat dairy has been ongoing in the field of nutrition for many years. Richard Bruno, a professor of human nutrition at Ohio State University, explains that recent research suggests that the saturated fat found in dairy products may not have the same impact on heart disease as previously believed.
Because dairy is such a diverse category, with varying fat contents between milk, yogurt, and cheese, it’s challenging to make blanket statements. Yet, Bruno and other experts argue that the rationale for recommending low-fat dairy over full-fat options is weakening as more data emerges.
Benoît Lamarche, director of the Nutrition, Health and Society Center in Quebec and a professor at Université Laval, convened leaders in nutrition last year to review the evidence on dairy fat and its link to cardiometabolic health. Lamarche found that the evidence showing full-fat dairy has a negative effect on health is of low quality and based on few studies.
Some recent research indicates that consuming higher fat dairy may not only be neutral but may even offer benefits over low-fat options, particularly when part of a healthy eating pattern. For example, one small trial found that participants following the “DASH” diet — developed to lower hypertension — and substituting high-fat dairy had comparable improvements in blood pressure as those who ate low-fat dairy and better blood lipid levels, which is a risk factor for heart disease.
Another study found that drinking whole milk raised HDL, or “good” cholesterol, more effectively than skim milk. Research suggests that certain bioactive components in the milk fat membrane like phospholipids may alleviate any potential risks associated with higher intakes of saturated fat.
However, some experts caution against promoting full-fat dairy as superior due to concerns about overall calorie and saturated fat intake. Frank Hu, chair of the department of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, argues that Americans should focus on reducing their consumption of processed foods high in sodium, refined starch, and processed meats, regardless of whether the cheese they eat is low-fat or high-fat.
In Hu’s view, incorporating a moderate amount of dairy into one’s overall diet, whether it’s full fat or low fat, can be beneficial if it replaces refined carbohydrates and sugars. Ultimately, more research is needed to fully understand the relationship between consumption of milk with different fat content and its impact on health.