WASHINGTON — For years, U.S. dietitians have said you shouldn’t drink whole milk. The excessive fat and calories are bad for your heart and could lead to weight gain, experts once argued.
Yet in recent months, some experts say people who drink whole milk aren’t more likely to develop cardiovascular disease or type 2 diabetes than people who drink low-fat milk. In fact, the high-fat milk might be good for overall human health.
“Fat has always been more controversial than the conventional wisdom that eating more fat makes you fat,” Mary Beth Albright, a food attorney, told WTOP Wednesday.
New dietary guidelines come out every five years; the government advice informs everything from school lunches and food package labels to advice from your doctor.
The departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services are expected to issue a final version by year’s end based on the advisory committee’s February recommendations.
Fewer Americans are buying milk overall. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, people drank an average of 14.5 gallons of milk a year in 2012. That’s down 33 percent from the 21.8 gallons a year in 1970.
Total milk sales’ volume has declined 12 percent since 2009, according to market researcher Euromonitor International.
In denouncing whole milk, regulators are saying all saturated fats are bad, said Claire LeBrun, senior nutritionist at the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates.
“You can’t just pinpoint all saturated fats and say ‘they’re bad,'” she said. “It’s a lot more complicated than just saying across the board, ‘you have have to reduce saturated fat.'”
Some saturated fats are good and have been known to reduce heart disease.
A plant-based diet is healthier overall, but for those who aren’t ready to give up meat, it’s tough to determine which diet works best, LeBrun said.
On Wednesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell testified at a hearing on the development of nutrition guidelines.
Among other things, Albright said, the secretaries were expected to say eggs aren’t linked to increased cholesterol. The fact that the federal government has final say is a bit disconcerting.
“We need some kind of consistency across the board,” Albright said. “At its best, the dietary guidelines are a great way for the government to be consistent. At its worst, it winds up being a battlefield for special interests.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
