"Type 2 diabetes affects approximately 16 million people in the United States and 135 million people worldwide," the authors provide as background information. "Because management of diabetes and its complications, such as cardiovascular disease, amputation, blindness, and renal failure, imposes enormous medical and economic burdens, primary prevention has become a public health imperative. Recent studies have shown that diet and lifestyle modifications are important means of preventing type 2 diabetes."

Hyon K. Choi, M.D., Dr.P.H., from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and colleagues from Harvard School of Public Health, analyzed data from 41,254 male participants with no history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at the start of the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

"During 12 years of follow-up, we documented 1,243 [new] cases of type 2 diabetes," the researchers report. "Each serving-per-day increase in total dairy intake was associated with a nine percent lower risk for type 2 diabetes." The researchers note: "When we examined the association with dairy products stratified by their fat contents, the significant inverse association was primarily limited to low-fat dairy consumption. Most individual low-fat dairy products and ice cream showed a similar inverse trend but only skim milk reached statistical significance."

"In conclusion, dietary patterns characterized by higher dairy intake, especially low-fat dairy intake, may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes," the authors state.

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The authors speculate that a combination of factors such as lower sodium and increased potassium, calcium, and magnesium -- key nutrients found in dairy -- may be responsible for the greater effect of the DASH-based diet on the obesity-related elevated blood pressure. Potassium has long been seen as a key nutrient in lowering blood pressure. Each 8-ounce serving of milk provides about 350-400 mg of potassium, or 11 percent of the Daily Value (DV) per serving. Fluid milk is the number one source of potassium in the American diet and dairy foods provide 18 percent of the potassium in the U.S. food supply.

"DASH-recommended foods like fruits, vegetables and lowfat milk, cheese, and yogurt have been shown to be very effective in lowering blood pressure, as well as reducing the risk of other chronic diseases," said Melissa Joy Buoscio, MS, RD, CDE, National Dairy Council. "It's good news for people who can still eat foods they enjoy -- like chocolate milk, yogurt parfaits or even pizza with veggies and lowfat cheese -- and still get the health benefits."

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