Milk Nutritious by Nature-The role of milk and dairy foods in healthy, sustainable diets

The four symposia in Brussels (April 23), The Hague (April 24), Copenhagen (April 28), Oslo (April 29) aim to bring together a wide range of participants from health professionals and academics to policy makers. The symposia will focus on the important role of milk and dairy foods in healthy, sustainable diets. Based around the expertise of four European scientists, this tour will present updates of the most recent studies demonstrating the potential health benefits of the milk matrix including for cardio-metabolic health, and the research underway to characterize dietary patterns that are sustainable as well as affordable, acceptable and accessible to European consumers.

The symposia will cover 3 topics.

In the first presentation, Dr. Michelle McKinley, (Queen’s University, Belfast, UK) will outline that “milk and dairy are complex foods and it is increasingly recognized that the unique combination of nutrients and bioactive factors in dairy work together to produce its health benefits”. She will also discuss how “for example, it’s been proposed that the calcium, phosphorus and protein in dairy work together to have a positive effect on bone, and the interaction between calcium, potassium, phosphorus and bioactive peptides may be part of the blood pressure lowering effects of the diary-rich DASH diet”.

Dr. Marianne Jakobsen (Aarhus University, DK) will update participants on the research that “the majority of studies find that intake of milk and dairy foods is not associated with increased risk of CHD”, and will demonstrate that, in some cases, dairy may have a protective effect on heart and metabolic health - for example, intake of milk may be associated with lower risk of stroke and yogurt with lower risk of diabetes.” People don’t eat individual nutrients but foods with complex combinations of nutrients, nutrition researchhas begun to recognize the need to look at the relationship between foods, food groups and dietary patterns for health” said Dr. Jakobsen.

Following up on the importance of considering the health effects of the whole food package and dietary patterns, Prof. Pieter van’t Veer and Dr. Anneleen Kuijsten (Wageningen University, NL) will discuss environmental sustainability, another important factor which is increasingly taken into account in developing dietary guidelines. Milk and dairy foods have been an important part of the European food culture for generations and provide key nutrients and health benefits in the diet. In this context Prof.Pieter van’t Veer said “measures to reduce environmental burden should also safeguard nutritional health and they should be acceptable for consumers”. , “There is a great need to define and develop healthy, environmentally sustainable and consumer-friendly diets”.

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