Studies question reduced-fat milk recommendations

In the July 1st issue of JAMA Pediatrics, Harvard researchers question the USDA Dietary Guideline recommendation of three servings of reduced-fat milk for children daily. The researchers find no scientific rationale for this recommendation, including no unbiased qualified studies. Moreover, the researchers state the humans have no nutritional requirement for animal milk. 

Additionally, a study in the June issue of Journal of Nutrition found that the concentrations of six of the eight inflammatory biomarkers tended to be higher on consumption of a low-fat dairy diet than on that of a fermented dairy diet. The concentrations of two plasmalogen lipid classes reported to be associated with increased oxidizability were also higher on consumption of the low-fat dairy diet than on that of the fermented dairy diet. In conclusion, short-term diets containing low-fat dairy products did not lead to a more favorable biomarker profile associated with cardiovascular disease risk compared with the full-fat dairy products.