Abstract/Summary

Dairy foods are not essential in our diet, but can contribute to over 40% of daily intake of calcium, iodine, phosphorus and some B-vitamins across Europe and in the USA. Dairy also provides a higher quality of protein than meat. All dairy foods are made from milk that comes from ruminant animals such as cows, sheep, goats and water buffalo and have been consumed for over 7500 years in some European populations. There is a popular misconception that milk is a high-fat food, yet whole milk contains only 3.6% fat, semi-skimmed 1.7% and skimmed 0%. Dairy foods are the main contributor to saturated fat intake in many European countries, but a high intake of dairy (excluding butter and cream) is not generally associated with heart disease risk. On the contrary, proteins, calcium, magnesium and probiotic bacteria in dairy foods have been linked to some beneficial effects on heart health, including blood pressure lowering. While some individuals develop an allergy to milk protein, others have lactose intolerance and are unable to digest dairy sugar (lactose). Interestingly, adult lactose intolerance is a normal condition in mammals. However, most humans have a genetic mutation that enables them to consume dairy products throughout adulthood, due to the persistence of lactase, required for lactose digestion.