An 11-year study conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University and Karolinska Institute, found that women who consumed high-fat dairy in the greatest quantities were less likely to become obese than women who ate less high-fat dairy.

Another study by Tufts University analyzed blood samples from 3,333 adult participants in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals. A follow-up study tested them for biomarkers indicating consumption of full-fat vs. low-fat milk. They then compared these results to participants' cardiovascular and diabetes outcomes over a 15-year follow-up period.

This study found no connection between any dairy foods and any cardiovascular risk factors, regardless of fat content. This finding also undermines the fear that full-fat dairy is bad for your weight or your heart. The researchers did find that people who ate more full-fat dairy had a 46 percent lower risk of developing diabetes than those who consumed more low-fat dairy – nearly half the risk!

Aseem Malhorta, a British cardiologist and adviser to the National Obesity Forum, tells his cardiac patients to avoid anything bearing the label 'low fat'. He said, "Better instead, I tell them, to embrace full fat dairy and other saturated fats within the context of a healthy eating plan.” Malhorta noted that some studies have found that lower cholesterol levels are actually associated with a higher risk of death, including from heart disease. In contrast, people over 60 with higher cholesterol levels are less likely to die.

If you are planning to increase your dairy consumption, you should also consider consuming raw rather than homogenized, pasteurized milk. Most milk that you buy in the grocery store has been mixed together from many different cows and even farms, in order to produce a uniform (homogenous) texture. It has also been treated with high heat to kill off much of its microbial content.  According to the Weston A. Price Foundation, benefits of raw milk over pasteurized milk include easier digestion, greater nutrient absorption, and health benefits including better growth, organ development, tooth health, fertility and disease resistance.

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