Yoghurt linked to reduced diabetes risk

Good news for fermented dairy product makers: new research suggests higher consumption can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by almost a third.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have linked higher consumption of low-fat fermented dairy products such as yoghurt varieties and some low-fat cheeses, compared to no consumption, to a 28 per cent reduction in diabetes risk, even when body weight was taken into account.

“I already eat yoghurt regularly, and I’ll certainly be recommending it to my patients from now on,” Associate Professor Richard O'Brien, a Clinical Dean of Medicine at the Austin Clinical School, University of Melbourne and senior endocrinologist, Austin Hospital, said following the findings.

However, he also noted the yoghurt eaters in the study also tended to be slimmer, more physically active and smoke and drink less, so they were a more healthy group overall.

Professor Mark Wahlqvist, Emeritus Professor of Medicine at Monash University, said fermentation is an important feature in diabetes protection.

“There is a growing body of evidence that this is the safest and healthiest way to have animal milk.”