dairy

I would be hard-pressed to find a food substance that attracts as much controversy as milk. Whether or not it is beneficial to overall health, whether or not it helps weight loss, whether we should buy raw or pasteurized, low fat vs. full fat - the list goes on and on. Hence, I hope to make an attempt to navigate through the speculation, possibilities and try to come up with some ideas on how to think about this issue.

An interesting Brazilian advertising campaign for yogurt depicts larger women in familiar poses from American movies.

The message is confusing... what's your take?

Scientists in New Zealand have been breeding a herd of cows that produce milk that is low in saturated fat. The cows are not the result of genetic modification - but have been bred from a single cow (name Marge) who was found during a large screening program.

Over the past couple years; dairy products have been a source of confusion and debate in regards to their contribution to weight loss.

Now the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been forced to stop 2 national dairy advertising campaigns that claim dairy products can cause weight loss.

Sipahh straws are an ingenious invention. Rather than having milk sweetened with sugar, these special straws contain all the flavoring and sweetener within the straw itself. Suck up the milk and it gets flavored on the way up.

Sipahh have gone worldwide - McDonald's Australia and New Zealand have both included Sipahh in their Happy Meals for kids.

So what is Sipahh like?

Low-Fat Dairy Enhances Weight Loss in Diabetics "People with the highest intake of dairy calcium had a 2.4-fold increased odds of weight loss of greater than 8 percent compared with people with the lowest intake of dairy calcium, despite consuming more calories."

Another dairy study that contradicts other studies and adds to the confusion.

Obesity Can Render Drugs Toxic "Being obese or having a high-fat diet may make people more sensitive to drugs that aren't toxic in thin people, put them at a higher risk for cancer and even increase their risk of death from using illegal drugs."

Mental Disorders Common in Weight Loss Surgery Patients "About two-thirds of people seeking weight-loss surgery have suffered from a psychiatric disorder at some point in their lives, and personality disorders are also common among this group." - in the American Journal of Psychiatry, February 2007

The BBC are reporting that only a few thousand years ago no Europeans could digest milk. In order to digest milk, adult humans need to have a gene which produces an enzyme called lactase to break down lactose, one of the main sugars it contains.(BBC)

Using data from 116,000 US nurses - Harvard researchers have found that women who frequently ate low-fat dairy were 85% more likely to have ovulation problems.

However if eating full-fat dairy foods appeared to cut the risk of this type of infertility.

29 year old Dave Nunley eats about 275 grams of grated cheddar cheese a day.

He has been eating this way since he was a toddler.

Thanks to the assistance of health experts Dave can "now eat an occasional bowl of Ready Brek or a bag of salt and vinegar crisps".

Functional foods are set to become the next "big thing".

French Dairy company Danone are about to release a yogurt as a cosmetic product.

If you are a tea drinker - you may have heard about catechins. These compounds play a role in preventing cancer and heart disease. However a fascinating new study has shown that when milk is consumed with tea - the effect of the catechins is effectively canceled out.

A large study of more than 19,000 middle-aged women has concluded that "only whole milk, and not low-fat milk, seemed to offer protection against weight gain."

Soy milk and rice milk are old hat. So why not try Camel's milk - or maybe some camelbert cheese?

The milk debate has been raging for a number of years now. The dairy industry (and a number of diet authors and food conglomerates) have clearly stated that dairy foods and calcium are linked to weight loss. Research says otherwise.

This hasn't stopped "milk diets" from being well-publicized. Robin Seaber is the latest success story. She drunk two glasses of milk a day and lost 46 pounds. Oh... and she reduced calories and exercised regularly...

It's time to lay this debate to rest. Here is the story so far:

The impact of calcium on weight loss continues to be a source of contention. A recent study has compared calcium supplements with calcium from food (via Yahoo): Girls who normally consume lots of calcium in their diet have less body fat than their peers, but those who add calcium supplements to their diets do not lose fat or weight.