The association between consumption of dairy products and risk of type 2 diabetes

Soroor Fathi; Mahsa Vahdat; Zahra Saeedirad; Naeemeh Hassanpour Ardekanizadeh; Mahdi Mousavi Mele; Soheila Shekari; Khadijeh Abbasi Mobarakeh; Hanieh Shafaei; Alireza Mosavi Jarrahi; Asma Rajabi Harsini; Sara Khoshdooz; Maryam Gholamalizadeh; Hamideh YazdiMoghaddam; Saeid Doaei

doi:10.1097/XCE.0000000000000318

The association between consumption of dairy products and risk of type 2 diabetes

Cardiovasc Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Dec 4;14(1):e00318. doi: 10.1097/XCE.0000000000000318. eCollection 2025 Mar.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences.
² Department of Nutrition, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz.
³ Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.
⁴ Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz.
⁵ Department of Nutrition, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz.
⁶ Department of Nutrition, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran.
⁷ Department of Community Nutrition, Nutrition and Food Security Research Center, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan.
⁸ Shahid Beheshti College of Midwifery, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht.
⁹ Cancer Research Centre, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.
¹⁰ Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.
¹¹ Faculty of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht.
¹² Cancer Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.
¹³ Operating Room Department, Faculty of Paramedics, Iranian Research Center on Healthy Aging, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar.
¹⁴ Department of Community Nutrition, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.
¹⁵ Reproductive Health Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Al-Zahra Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.

Abstract

Background: The effects of dairy products on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are unclear. Some studies have revealed the beneficial effects, whereas others found harmful effects of dairy products on the risk of T2DM. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association of different types of dairy products with risk of T2DM in Iranian adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included a total of 4241 individuals. Among these participants, 1804 were diagnosed with T2DM or prediabetes, whereas the remaining 2437 individuals were without T2DM. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the consumption of different types of dairy products.

Results: A positive association was found between T2DM with dietary intake of milk [odds ratio (OR): 1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-1.23, P = 0.008] and cheese (OR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.41-2.29, P = 0.001) after adjustment for age, sex, physical activity, BMI, education level, energy, and fat intake. There was no significant association between T2DM and dietary intake of total dairy, yogurt, ayran (yogurt drink), and curd.

Conclusion: A positive association was found between the consumption of some dairy products including milk and cheese and the risk of T2DM. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to approve this finding.

Keywords: cheese; dairy products; milk; type 2 diabetes; yogurt.