February 3/Rosemont, Ill./Dairy Research Institute -- The unique nutrient combination of calcium and milkfat present in dairy may play a key role in reducing fat absorption and may have the unique ability to maintain good cholesterol (HDL) while minimizing any increase in bad cholesterol (LDL). This is according to an article published in the February issue of the British Journal of Nutrition.1 The study, designed to explore why dairy products containing saturated fat and high contents of calcium do not seem to significantly affect blood cholesterol levels as much as saturated fat from other sources, lends credence to the notion that milk and other dairy products with a high content of calcium such as cheese, might actually reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.
The authors, Janne K. Lorenzen, Ph.D., and Arne Astrup, M.D., professor and director of the Department of Human Nutrition at the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, noted that, historically, intervention studies have pointed to a relationship between a diet high in saturated fat and increases in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. As a result, some nutrition experts have recommended that consumers limit the intake of high-fat dairy products. However, observational studies have found an inverse relation between intake of milk and other dairy products with a high content of calcium and incidence of cardiovascular disease.2 Astrup and Lorenzen aimed to study whether the high calcium content of dairy products influences the effect of dairy fat on the lipid profile.