In an important development last week, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed yogurt manufacturers to advertise the role of yogurt in reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes. The FDA agreed to the claim that “eating at least two cups of yogurt per week may reduce the chance of developing diabetes.”
YOGURT AND DIABETES
This is, however, based on limited evidence, and is, therefore, labelled as a “qualified” health claim. A qualified health claim lacks full scientific evidence as opposed to evidence from a randomised clinical trial. The claim of an association between yogurt intake and lower risk of diabetes is not new. Several large studies have shown that fermented milk products like yogurt can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The most important was a meta-analysis of data from 100,000 participants by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health which showed that a daily serving of yogurt was linked to an 18 per cent lower risk of developing diabetes. Other dairy products or total dairy consumption were not found to have the same protective effect.
However, the evidence of an association between yogurt intake and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes is observational and whether it is a true ‘cause and effect’ is still debated. Other studies, like the Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle (2013) study, suggested that whole fat dairy products could reduce chances of developing prediabetes.
YOGURT IS A GOOD SOURCE OF NUTRITION
It is rich in calcium, protein, B vitamins and minerals like magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Made from milk fermented with bacteria, it is a rich source of probiotics which may help in reducing inflammation and improving insulin sensitivity. Recent data has also shown that full-fat dairy consumption is not associated with the risk of heart disease or stroke.
Does this finding mean that consuming any kind of yogurt is recommended for people seeking to reduce their risk of developing diabetes? Most commercially available yogurts are sweetened, providing extra calories. This added sugar could potentially mitigate the beneficial effect of yogurt consumption, although the FDA did not make any such distinction. Intake of yogurt, too, has to fit in with your overall calorie allowance. Sweetened yogurts will make it much harder to manage calorie intake.
WHICH YOGURT WORKS BEST?
Yogurt contains lactose and carbohydrates, which raise your blood glucose levels. However, most dairy products have a low glycaemic index (GI). Avoid those with added sugar. Check the fat content. Make sure that the calories fit into your daily allowance. Although not widely consumed in India, unflavoured Greek yogurt is a good choice. It may be best to choose plain yogurt and garnish it with almonds, berries or healthy seeds like flax or chia at home.
Most Indian households use home-made curd rather than commercially available yogurt. While they are somewhat similar, there are fundamental differences. Curd is formed by allowing milk to naturally ferment or by using vinegar or lemon juice, and uses bacteria already present in the environment or the milk itself. On the other hand, yogurt is produced through the intentional introduction of specific bacterial strains, usually Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. In addition, Indians commonly use buffalo milk to prepare curd. Buffalo milk has higher fat content than cow milk. This makes it difficult to extrapolate the Western studies involving yogurt to curd directly. However, the large international Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study, which had India as a participant, showed that whole-fat dairy is associated with lower heart disease and mortality.
Savour your yogurt, but keep an eye on the calories!
