Harvey Anderson’s low-fat dairy advice check ended with a different answer: three daily servings of full-fat dairy did not worsen body weight, body composition, energy metabolism, or blood lipids over 12 weeks. The Canadian study tracked 74 adults with overweight or obesity and found no meaningful difference between the low-dairy group and those eating dairy every day.
That leaves a direct challenge to the long-running push to choose fat-free or low-fat dairy. Anderson said, “Those that had three servings of dairy didn't have adverse levels of blood cholesterol or lipids or evidence of insulin resistance,” and the findings were published in The Journal of Nutrition.
Harvey Anderson and 74 adults
The study split 74 adults with overweight or obesity into three dietary groups. One followed a low-dairy, calorie-restricted diet. A second ate an energy-neutral diet with three servings of dairy each day, and a third ate an unrestricted diet that also included three daily servings of dairy.
The dairy groups received full-fat dairy products during the study. After 12 weeks, researchers found no meaningful differences in weight gain, body composition, or cholesterol levels between the low-dairy diet and the groups eating three servings of dairy each day. Participants consuming more dairy also took in more calcium, protein, and vitamin D.
The Journal of Nutrition results
The result matters because dairy foods contain saturated fat, and dietary recommendations in Canada and many other countries have typically pushed people toward fat-free or low-fat dairy products. Anderson said numerous human studies have found no link between full-fat dairy and harmful health outcomes, while some studies have reported positive or protective effects.
He pointed to the dairy matrix hypothesis to explain the split. “With dairy products, it's got two proteins -- casein and whey -- that are bound together with fat and with nutrients mixed in,” he said. Anderson added that the structure may let nutrients move through the body gradually, and he said the findings may be particularly important for older adults.
For readers weighing what to buy now, the practical takeaway is narrow but clear: in this 12-week trial, three servings of full-fat dairy did not push weight, cholesterol, or blood lipids in the wrong direction. What remains open is whether the same pattern holds for longer than 12 weeks and outside a group of adults with overweight or obesity.
