Clearing up the Confusion: Low Fat and Full Fat Dairy

Many people are confused about whether full fat or low fat dairy foods are better. In fact, this is a common question asked by patients here at Darwin Nutrition and Dietetics Clinic

So, which is best? Low fat or full fat dairy?

The answer is: it depends.

What nutrients are found in dairy foods?

Dairy foods contain several key nutrients.

Cheese, yoghurt and milk are high in protein, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and some fats.^{1, 2} They also contain calcium which helps to keep your bones strong.^{1, 2}

Butter and cream are also dairy foods but they contain more fat and less protein, vitamins and minerals. Although they are tasty, these foods aren’t as nutritious as cheese, yoghurt and milk.

Does low fat milk have less calcium? Does low fat milk contain more sugar?

There are two common misconceptions about low fat milk: it contains added sugar (to make it taste better) and it has less calcium than full cream milk. These myths are simply not true. Full cream and low fat milk have the same amount of calcium and low fat milk does not contain added sugar.

What about the fat in dairy foods?

Low fat dairy foods contain less fat than full fat dairy foods. Because low fat dairy foods contain less fat, they also do have a somewhat lower energy content. This means they contain less kilojoules or calories than full fat dairy.

There are several types of fats found in dairy foods including saturated fats and trans fats.¹ Low fat dairy foods contain less of these fats than full fat dairy foods. Saturated fat and trans fat may increase your “bad cholesterol” or LDL cholesterol levels. If you have high levels of LDL cholesterol you are at an increased risk of heart problems.^{3, 4}

The health impacts of dairy foods

For the general population

For the general population, The Heart Foundation found that both low fat and full fat milk, yoghurt and cheese don’t have much of an impact on heart health.¹ But this is only the case if they are consumed as part of a balanced, healthy diet.¹ On the other hand, butter significantly increases LDL cholesterol levels and this is linked to poor heart health.¹

Both full fat and low fat dairy foods might offer some protection against type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke in the general population.^{1, 2} However, more studies are needed to confirm these relationships.

For people who already have high cholesterol, diabetes or cardiovascular disease

The fat in dairy foods affects people with high cholesterol differently to those who don’t have high cholesterol.¹ If you already have high cholesterol, dairy fat can cause a much greater increase in your LDL cholesterol levels.¹

If you have pre-existing heart disease or diabetes it’s important that your LDL cholesterol stays within the normal range. High LDL cholesterol levels can increase your risk of adverse health outcomes so it is important to keep this in mind when eating dairy foods.

Our recommendations

Dairy foods are nutritious and should be part of everyone’s diet.

For the general population

Most people should select yoghurt, milk and cheese and avoid butter and cream where possible. It doesn’t matter too much whether you choose full fat or low fat milk, yoghurt or cheese.¹ Mostly this depends on your personal preferences.

If you have to choose, it’s probably still best to select low fat milk, yoghurt and cheese. The science shows that there isn’t strong evidence againstchoosing the full fat options.¹ However, low-fat dairy products are just as nutritionally adequate and have less saturated and trans fats than full fat dairy.

Keep in mind that milk, yogurt and cheese should be part of a healthy and balanced diet.¹ This means that you should also include plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, wholegrains and healthy fats in your diet.¹

For people with high cholesterol levels, diabetes or cardiovascular disease

If you have high cholesterol, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or if your doctor has recommended a cholesterol-lowering diet, we recommend only low fat milk, yoghurt and cheese. We also suggest increasing your intake of healthy fats and oils and avoiding butter and cream.

In summary

Yoghurt, milk and cheese are nutritious foods which can be included in everyone’s diet. For the general population, both low fat and full fat yoghurt, milk and cheese are suitable. If you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes or pre-existing high cholesterol levels we recommend only low fat yoghurt, milk and cheese. Reducing less nutritious dairy foods like butter and cream is beneficial for everyone.

If you have more questions about how these recommendations might apply to you, get in touch with us at Darwin Nutrition and Dietetics Clinic here or by calling (08) 8919 8919.

What nutrients are found in dairy foods?

Does low fat milk have less calcium? Does low fat milk contain more sugar?

What about the fat in dairy foods?

The health impacts of dairy foods

For the general population

For people who already have high cholesterol, diabetes or cardiovascular disease

Our recommendations

For the general population

For people with high cholesterol levels, diabetes or cardiovascular disease

In summary

References