New Delhi, Nov 9
Eating high-fat dairy products which include whole milk, cream, frozen yoghurt, butter, and ghee, may increase the risk of fatty liver disease, according to a study.
The study, published in the Journal of Hepatology Reports, showed that low-medium fat dairy products such as skimmed milk, cottage cheese, and low-fat cheese may be protective, and should be preferred over high-fat dairy to prevent Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).
MASLD is related to nutrition, but evidence of an association between high-fat and low-fat dairy products is lacking.
To fill the gap, a team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in Israel, evaluated this association by performing experimental studies in mice and an observational human study.
They found that low-medium fat low-sugar dairy products are more protective than high-fat dairy. In general, high-fat diets may be harmful.
“It would be advisable to prefer low-fat low-sugar dairy products and minimise intake of high-fat dairy products; however, additional evidence is needed to allow generalisability of our findings,” the researchers said.
In the animal study, 6-week-old male mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) consisting of lard, soybean oil, and milk fat for 12 weeks.