Men: Got Milk?

by Diane Lofshult

Diet and lifestyle modifications can substantially reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Although a strong inverse association has been found between dairy consumption and insulin resistance, little has been reported about the relation between diary intake and type 2 diabetes.

A recent study examined the incidence of type 2 diabetes and dairy consumption in a group of healthy men enrolled in the ongoing Health Professionals Follow-Up study. After a 12-year period, the researchers concluded that a diet high in low-fat dairy products was effective in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes in the male subjects. “Dietary patterns characterized by higher dairy intake, especially low-fat dairy intake, can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes in men,” the study authors concluded. The findings were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2005; 165 (9), 997–1003).