Love your yogurt? Now you have another reason to love it even more! New research shows that consumption of yogurt over other dairy sources is consistently linked with a reduced risk for type 2 diabetes, as shown in BMC Medicine.
As if you needed another reason to love yogurt even more - it's creamy, tangy, protein and probiotic-packed, a perfect breakfast or snack food and now research is showing that it also protects you from developing type 2 diabetes (T2D).
On top of its deliciousness, yogurt is a natural superfood, with its high levels of calcium, protein, vitamin D and probiotics, yogurt is a perfect food source for bone health and gut health and is an ideal dairy source for those with lactose intolerance. Now we can add that eating yogurt protects against type 2 diabetes to the list as well!
New research published in the journal of BMC Medicine from a group of researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health aimed to investigate whether total dairy intake as well as individual dairy sources were linked to incidence of type 2 diabetes. They followed a total of just under 195,000 people over the course of 30 years from 3 large prospective cohort studies, of which 15,156 cases of type 2 diabetes were documented. Total diet and dairy consumption was reported via food frequency diet questionnaires and was compared to overall type 2 diabetes incidence.
It was found that although total dairy consumption, which includes skim or whole milk, ice cream, cheeses, cream and yogurt, was not linked to a risk of T2D, when yogurt alone was tested, it was significantly associated with a lower risk of T2D.
The lowered incidence of T2D with yogurt consumption reported may be explained by the presence of probiotic bacteria in yogurt, as it as been shown that probiotic bacteria improves lipid and cholesterol levels and antioxidant status in T2D patients. This in conjunction with the bioactive components in all dairy products, such as calcium, vitamin D, magnesium and milk proteins, may contribute collectively to the improved blood glucose control observed in this study over other dairy products.
Now, you may be wondering what other ways can I incorporate yogurt in my diet besides the typical snack or breakfast food? Yogurt is an easy and healthy substitute for other typical high-fat dairy products that you may not have thought of before, without sacrificing flavor or texture. I like to keep a good stock of plain Greek yogurt on hand, since it's so versatile and can be easily sweetened with natural honey versus those other processed, artifically sweetened pods!
Use plain yogurt instead of:
-Sour cream (for dips, tacos, chili, etc)
-Mayo (for dips)
-Heavy cream (when you want to add creaminess to recipes)
-Oil (in baking)
-Flavored fruit-bottom yogurt (sweeten with honey and add your own fruit!)
-Experiment and enjoy! You can't go wrong!
Bottom line: Higher consumption of yogurt is associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
Source: Chen, M et al. BMC Medicine. 2014.