Dairy products consumption versus type 2 diabetes prevention and treatment: a review of recent findings from human studies

• Main Authors: Tadeu Silva Ton, Rita de Cássia Gonçalves Alfenas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Arán Ediciones, S. L. 2013-10-01
• Series: Nutrición Hospitalaria
• Subjects: Productos lácteos; Leche; Calcio; Vitamina D; Diabetes; Resistencia a la insulina
• Online Access: http://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0212-16112013000500004&lng=en&tlng=en

Introduction: It has been claimed that the appropriate consumption of dairy products can be beneficial for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Objective: The objective of this review is to critically analyze the main scientific evidence about this topic. Methods: MEDLINE, PubMEd, Science Direct, SCIELO and LILACS were searched for studies published over the past 12 years exploring the effects of the consumption of dairy products or its components (calcium, vitamin D and magnesium) on T2DM. Results and discussion: Epidemiological studies indicate that consumption of at least three servings of low-fat dairy products per day as a part of a healthy diet is crucial to reduce the risk of developing T2DM. The majority of the analyzed intervention studies reported beneficial effects of increased calcium and vitamin D ingestion on insulin sensitivity improvement and T2DM prevention. Conclusions: Although the impact of dairy consumption to treat T2DM needs further investigation, the consumption of low-fat dairy products may be an important strategy to prevent and control T2DM.