Dairy and insulin resistance - what's the truth?

[Felk]

In light of a recent study done in australia showing a low-GI diet bringing about a major reduction in acne in 15-25 year old boys, I've become more interested in fighting hair loss through diet. This study noted that "the treatment group (the group on the diet) showed greater reductions in hormonal markers of acne and insulin resistance"

A side effect of the diet was "an average weight loss of 2.9kg. Professor Neil Mann added that the last real studies into acne and diet, which found no link, were done more than 30 years ago. Further studies, which include females, have now started."

However i'm divided on whether dairy is good or bad for avoiding insulin resistance.

Here is a study claiming "Individuals who do not drink milk may be protected against insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome."

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/ab ... alCode=dme

Abstract

Objective To examine the association of milk consumption with insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome.

Methods The association was examined in 4024 British women aged 60–79 who were randomly selected from primary care centres in 23 towns.

Results Women who never drank milk had lower homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA) scores, triglyceride concentrations and body mass indices, and higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol concentrations, than those who drank milk. The age-adjusted odds ratio for the metabolic syndrome comparing non-milk drinkers with drinkers was 0.55 (0.33, 0.94), which did not attenuate with adjustment for potential confounders. Diabetes was less common in non-milk drinkers.

Conclusion Individuals who do not drink milk may be protected against insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. However, randomized controlled trials are required to establish whether milk avoidance is causally associated with these outcomes.

Diabet. Med. 22, 808–811 (2005)

...however here

Increased intake of dairy products may help reduce risk of insulin resistance

Milk intake has decreased while prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes has increased
Milk intake has decreased significantly over the past three decades while the prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes has increased. The authors of a Harvard research study note that for most of the past 30 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Heart Association have recommended low-fat diets for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. However, some researchers have questioned these recommendations out of concern that high-carbohydrate consumption might promote insulin resistance syndrome (IRS), which has been linked to risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In a study published in the April 24, 2002 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, Harvard researchers say that "Our study suggests that dietary patterns characterized by increased dairy consumption may protect overweight individuals from the development of obesity and the IRS, which are key risk factors for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease." The research was supported by the Children's Hospital League, Charles H. Hood Foundation, a grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, an unrestricted gift from General Mills Inc., and contracts from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

What's the truth about dairy and insulin resistance, does anyone have any more definate data, or something to make sense of these apparent contradictions?

 

[powersam]

wish i could answer that Felk, have been trying to find answers to that specific question for awhile.

from reading i've done, it has been suggested that calcium protects against insulin resistance. but then i've been told on this site that animal fat promotes insulin resistance.

as to the second paragraph you quote, though milk intake may have decreased, there are a multitude of factors which have also changed which could arguably be far more involved in the rise in diabetes and insulin resistance. the prevalence of processed foods, the overuse of corn syrup, our increasingly sedentary lifestyles... the list goes on. the first is an actual study, the second is simply a few people guessing.

 

[DammitLetMeIn]

Skimmed milk has a glycemic index of around 32 so I don't think its a big promoter of insulin resistance.

 

[So]

Despite the divided consensus on whether or not milk does or does not contribute to insulin or the resistance there of, it is important to determine whether or not milk in general is good or potentially bad.

I have been a milk drinker (cereal, etc) for years. Love the stuff!

I've gone cold turkey for close on six or seven weeks, maybe more. Why? Milk is Cows puss, white blood cells, but besides that, it's not for us.

Milk carries some good properties don't get me wrong, however each of which can be had from other sources of food which are far better by design. Milk is a billion dollar industry and as with anything that has it's ties to money, nothing is what it seems.

Face it guys, milk is and never was designed for human consumption and was only brought into our food chain/supply by the introduction of agriculture.

In fact due to the dietary changes that have so far occurred over the course of human history and at a rapid pace far greater than our genetic makeup could adapt, we have single handedly influenced our genetic expression resulting in many degenerative diseases that we know of today, hair loss being just one of those.

As we learned new methods for cooking, preparing and harvesting foods that were once either unattainable, toxic or undiscovered, we opened the door for world population growth to a point where now it is impossible to sustain the worlds people on a diet that would have it's roots tied closely with that of a Paleolithic diet. There simply is not enough natural resources.

Oh, and please no one tell me people of that period in time only lived to the ripe old age of 35! It has didley squat to do with the premise of food and it's importance in maintaining genetic supremacy.