Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
A diet high in saturated milk fats causes unfavorable changes in gut bacteria which can lead to inflammation and bowel diseases in certain susceptible people.[1]
But what if you remove the fat, you ask? Dairy protein is the component linked to the diseases caused by dairy foods and removing the fat does not help with that. When fat is taken out, that leaves higher percentages of protein and estrogen. The reported health benefits of dairy are often related to the foods or beverage that dairy is compared to. Dairy fares better in studies in which it is compared to red meat and sugary drinks but not so well in studies in which the comparison foods are plant foods. There is no clear benefit associated with consuming low-fat dairy instead of high-fat dairy. Nothing good happens when we take out the original composition of a food and it stresses our body unnecessarily.
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[1] Devkota S, Wang Y, Musch V et al. “Dietary fat induced taurocholic acid promotes pathobiont expansion and colitis in I/10-/- mice.” Published online ahead of print doi 10.1038/mature11225