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Dairy products and health: a review of the epidemiological evidence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2007

Eva-Elisa Álvarez-León
Affiliation:
Preventive Medicine Service, Complejo Hospitalario Materno-Insular, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
Blanca Román-Viñas
Affiliation:
Community Nutrition Research Centre, Scientific Park of Barcelona, Spain
Lluís Serra-Majem*
Affiliation:
Preventive Medicine Service, Complejo Hospitalario Materno-Insular, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain Community Nutrition Research Centre, Scientific Park of Barcelona, Spain Departamento de Ciencias Clínicas, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Apto. Correos 550, E-35080 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
*
*Corresponding author: Professor Lluís Serra-Majem, fax +34 928 453475, email [email protected]
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Abstract

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Evidence-based nutrition is essential to move forward in the science of community nutrition. The present study is a review of the epidemiological evidence of dairy products and health. There is an inverse association between the intake of dairy products and hypertension, stroke and colorectal cancer. There is no evidence of an association between the consumption of dairy products and breast cancer. There is some evidence linking high-fat dairy products and an incremental risk of prostate cancer and weak evidence of the protective capacity of dairy products on bone health. More prospective studies should be developed in order to establish better evidence of the relationship between dairy products and health. Due to the importance of dairy products in public health nutrition, quantitative recommendations should be established in the light of the scientific evidence.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2006

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