Review Suggests Dairy Intake may Benefit Blood Sugar Control

by | Oct 8, 2013 | 2013, Calcium, Diabetes, Magnesium, Pancreatic Health, Vitamin D - General

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. This very large study showed reduced risks of 7-22% for type 2 diabetes for various milk based products. 

Despite extensive educational efforts and advances in knowledge of nutrition and exercise in helping prevent type 2 diabetes, worldwide prevalence is expected to increase by nearly 51%, from 366 million people in 2011 to 552 million by 2030 (1). The latest statistics from the Centers for Disease control have 25.8 million Americans with diabetes at an annual cost of $174 billion to our healthcare system (2).

Now a new review study (3) suggests that increased dairy intake may decrease diabetes risk. Researchers analyzed 17 studies with 426,055 subjects that produced 26,976 cases of type 2 diabetes. The researchers found the following significant benefits of dairy intake and risk for type 2 diabetes:

  • 7% reduced risk of type 2 diabetes for every 400 grams of total dairy products consumed per day (p = 0.0001)
  • 9% reduced risk for every 200 grams of low-fat dairy products consumed per day (p = 0.06)
  • 13% reduced risk for every 200 grams of milk consumed per day (p = 0.002)
  • 8% reduced risk for every 50 grams of cheese consumed per day (p = 0.06)
  • 22% reduced risk for every 200 grams of yogurt consumed per day (p = 0.004)

When suggesting how dairy products may produce these decreased risks, the researchers cited studies showing that calcium, abundant in milk, increases insulin secretion and decreases insulin resistance, both of which combine to help better manage blood sugar levels (4). In addition, some dairy products may be fortified with vitamin D, which has been shown to be associated with reduced diabetes risk (5). But because no benefits to type 2 diabetes risk occur with calcium and vitamin D supplementation (6), the Women’s Health Initiative randomized trial found no association between supplementation with calcium and vitamin D on incident type 2 diabetes (3). Dairy products contain whey proteins, which have been shown to reduce gain in body weight and to increase insulin sensitivity in animal models (4).

In addition, dairy products are a source of magnesium, which has been associated with reduced diabetes risk in epidemiological studies (5), and with improved insulin sensitivity in some experimental studies, although the data are limited (6). The fat content of dairy products might also influence diabetes risk.

For the researchers, “This meta-analysis suggests that there is a significant inverse association between intakes of dairy products, low-fat dairy products, and cheese and risk of type 2 diabetes. Any additional studies should assess the association between other specific types of dairy products and the risk of type 2 diabetes and adjust for more confounding factors.”

Source: Aune, Dagfinn, Teresa Norat, Pål Romundstad, and Lars J. Vatten. “Dairy products and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies.” The American journal of clinical nutrition (2013): ajcn-059030.

© 2013 American Society for Nutrition

Posted October 1, 2013.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com

References:

  1. Whiting DR, Guariguata L, Weil C, Shaw J. IDF diabetes atlas: global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2011 and 2030. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2011;94:311–21.
  2. “2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet” posted on the CDC website.
  3. Dairy products and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies.  Amer Jou Clin Nutr 2013; doi: 10.3945/ajcn.113.059030.
  4. Pittas AG, Lau J, Hu FB, Dawson-Hughes B. The role of vitamin D and calcium in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007;92:2017–29.
  5. Mitri J, Muraru MD, Pittas AG. Vitamin D and type 2 diabetes:a systematic review. Eur J Clin Nutr 2011;65:1005–15.
  6. de Boer I, Tinker LF, Connelly S, Curb JD, Howard BV, Kestenbaum B, Larson JC, Manson JE, Margolis KL, Siscovick DS, et al. Calcium plus vitamin D supplementation and the risk of incident diabetes in the Women’s Health Initiative. Diabetes Care 2008;31:701–7.