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New research suggests that switching from non-fermented milk to yogurt could help women lower their risk of heart disease.
According to a study published in BMC Medicine, drinking non-fermented milk—such as standard cow’s milk—might increase the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and heart attack in women. The research indicates that replacing non-fermented milk with fermented alternatives, like yogurt and kefir, could help mitigate these risks.
The study, conducted by Karl Michaëlsson and his colleagues, followed two large Swedish cohorts consisting of nearly 60,000 women and 41,000 men over 33 years, tracking their dairy consumption and incidence of heart disease. Participants, who were initially free of heart disease and cancer, provided information on their intake of fermented and non-fermented milk, and the researchers adjusted for factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and other health conditions.
The findings revealed that women who consumed more than 300 milliliters of non-fermented milk daily had a progressively higher risk of heart disease. Specifically, the risk of IHD in women increased by 5% at 400 milliliters of non-fermented milk per day, by 12% at 600 milliliters, and by 21% at 800 milliliters. A similar increase in risk was seen for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) among women, but this association was not observed in men.
The study found a potentially beneficial effect when women replaced non-fermented milk with fermented milk. Swapping a 200-milliliter daily intake of non-fermented milk with fermented milk was associated with a 5% lower risk of IHD and a 4% reduced risk of heart attack in women.
Understanding the Effects of Fermentation on Heart Health
Fermented dairy products, which include yogurt and kefir, are fermented by lactic acid bacteria, and they are thought to support heart health differently than non-fermented milk. Fermentation may influence certain cardiometabolic proteins, including angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), both of which play roles in regulating blood pressure and blood flow.
However, the authors caution that these findings are observational and specific to a largely Scandinavian population. The study, while extensive, cannot definitively establish a causal link between non-fermented milk intake and heart disease risk, and further research is needed to confirm these associations across diverse populations.
Dairy Recommendations and Heart Health
Current guidelines from the British Dietetic Association recommend three servings of dairy per day, which might include three 200-milliliter glasses of semi-skimmed milk, 90 grams of cheddar cheese, or 450 grams of low-fat yogurt. This study, however, may lead some women to consider incorporating more fermented dairy products into their daily intake as a precautionary measure for heart health.
The researchers’ findings suggest a nuanced approach to dairy consumption, where the type of milk—fermented versus non-fermented—may be more significant for women’s heart health than the quantity alone.
For more details, see the full study: Karl Michaëlsson et al, Non-fermented and fermented milk intake in relation to risk of ischemic heart disease and to circulating cardiometabolic proteins in Swedish women and men: Two prospective longitudinal cohort studies with 100,775 participants, BMC Medicine (2024).
