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Mastering the Art of Healthy Eating: Diet Tips and Nutrition Research | Professor Walter Willett, MD

The Proof with Simon Hill

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The Complexities of Dairy: Exploring the Benefits and Risks

Dairy is a complex food group with both positive and negative effects. It contains beneficial essential nutrients, but also has potential harmful effects if consumed in high amounts. Dairy falls in the middle of the spectrum between healthful and unhealthy food. For overall mortality, processed red meat is the worst, followed by eggs and unprocessed red meat, with dairy in the middle. However, substituting dairy with healthy plant foods is associated with lower mortality. Dairy is found to be neutral for diabetes, with some studies suggesting less weight gain, particularly from yogurt. In terms of the fat content, high or low fat versions of dairy products do not make a significant difference for most outcomes. Low-fat options should be cautious of added sugars. Dairy fat itself is not an optimal fat, with plant oils being better for cardiovascular disease and total mortality. A study comparing dairy fat from milk and cheese found a slightly less adverse effect on LDL cholesterol from cheese compared to milk, but high monounsaturated and high polyunsaturated plant oils had significantly lower LDL cholesterol levels.

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