High-Dairy Diets?

cammiecane

Hello All!

So I’ve noticed the general sentiment seems to be CICO = weight loss and the type of food doesn’t matter. No one food is going to increase weight loss or help you lose fat from a specific area.

When I first told my Dr. that I was wanting to lose weight, he insisted that I should make sure to keep a high-dairy diet as it would help me lose more weight and fat. He gave me the link to two medical journal studies that seem to back this up.

These articles basically claim that eating a high dairy diet will allow you to preserve or even gain muscle mass, lose more total weight, lose more total fat and lose more fat from your “trunk” (which I assume to mostly mean abdomen) as well as visceral abdominal fat.

Personally speaking, I haven’t tried this as I feel it will take up too many of my calories, but I am curious to see what others will make of these studies. I’ve linked them below. They almost sound too good to be true (literally) to me.

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/141/9/1626/4630649

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2004.67

cmriverside

I'm not going to read the articles, I'll just share my personal experience.

I get a good amount of nutrition from dairy. I have about 6 ounces of milk daily. Usually 0.5 to one ounce of cheese daily. I also have 100-200g of yogurt (about half of that Greek.) I love dairy.

I lost all my weight eating that way, seventy pounds plus. I've eaten that way since. I've kept the weight off. More importantly, I like dairy and will continue to use it. If you can meet your protein, fat, potassium, calcium and probiotic needs some other way, I don't see how dairy is a magical food. But hey, it doesn't bother me one bit if it is!

middlehaitch

Just a brief read through and bookmarked for later digestion.
Interesting studies I am curious what those who are better/broader read than me on these studies have to say.

As an aside, I have never been obese but my 30lbs loss was done on a 40 carb, 30 fat and 30 protein split with approx 60g of my protein (80-100g) coming from dairy. Not planned, just how I eat. Lots of yogurt and cottage cheese with whey thrown in when needed.
I maintain on the same split.

I didn't lift weights until maintenance, but did most of my exercises in a cardio/conditioning format. (Pilates, aqua fit, swimming, bodyweight routines etc, as opposed to straight cardio)

Cheers, h.

kshama2001

cammiecane wrote: »

Hello All!

So I’ve noticed the general sentiment seems to be CICO = weight loss and the type of food doesn’t matter. No one food is going to increase weight loss or help you lose fat from a specific area.

When I first told my Dr. that I was wanting to lose weight, he insisted that I should make sure to keep a high-dairy diet as it would help me lose more weight and fat. He gave me the link to two medical journal studies that seem to back this up.

These articles basically claim that eating a high dairy diet will allow you to preserve or even gain muscle mass, lose more total weight, lose more total fat and lose more fat from your “trunk” (which I assume to mostly mean abdomen) as well as visceral abdominal fat.

Personally speaking, I haven’t tried this as I feel it will take up too many of my calories, but I am curious to see what others will make of these studies. I’ve linked them below. They almost sound too good to be true (literally) to me.

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/141/9/1626/4630649

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2004.67

Your OP made me go straight to the funding. Surprise!

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/141/9/1626/4630649

Footnotes
Supported by the Dairy Farmers of Canada, The Dairy Research Institute, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2004.67

Acknowledgment
This research was supported by the National Dairy Council.

amusedmonkey

I will only share my personal anecdote because I'm too tired to read these studies. I usually eat a diet high in dairy because it's my preferred source of protein (not a big fan of meat). I also cut dairy out completely for 40 some days twice a year. I have noticed zero difference in weight loss in either eating pattern.

psuLemon

Once i only skimmed the articles but it's fairly well know that if you have two isocaloric diets but protein isn't controlled, the one with higher protein will always drive higher weight loss. There are just so many benefits of higher protein, including increased energy output, maintenance of metabolic functions, etc..

jgnatca

I love dairy and I have it daily. It helps me get my protein.

As an aside to the rabbit trail:

https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/hca.html

pinuplove

This reminds me of the Weight Loss Tips From 1951 thread. Everything old is new again, eventually!
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10681668/weight-loss-tips-from-1951/p1

psuLemon

psuLemon wrote: »

Once i only skimmed the articles but it's fairly well know that if you have two isocaloric diets but protein isn't controlled, the one with higher protein will always drive higher weight loss. There are just so many benefits of higher protein, including increased energy output, maintenance of metabolic functions, etc..

While the overall design of the first one was ok, it fails on a few parts; there is a high protein group as compared to the other two. In fact, its about double the protein. Also, calorie restriction wasn't equal across groups. The high protein did have a smaller deficit, which helps protect lean body mass. If you look at the differences between the adequate protein groups (medium dairy vs low dairy) there is no statistical difference. Meaning, dairy/calcium didn't have an impact.

Really what this further demonstrates is the impact of high protein when combined with resistance training.

MostlyWater

I'm also not clicking the link. I do what I think is best; I eat dairy. Yogurt and cheese, mostly.

nooshi713

I get a good portion of my calories from dairy and love it. I have no ill effecrs and I feel great consuming it.

gia_incognito

Seems interesting that the study is sponsored by the dairy association.

Nony_Mouse

I eat a (very) high dairy diet. My weight loss is completely consistent with the anticipated 1 lb per 3500 cal deficit.

born_of_fire74

Dairy is a good, easy source of protein no matter who sponsors the studies. Many people find dairy highly satiating which is very important to weight loss and maintenance. If you like dairy, eat dairy. If you don't, there are plenty of other sources of protein and plenty of other things that you might find satiating.

It's not like there is one magic food type that is the key to everyone's success. Dairy works for some and not for others.

AnvilHead

gia_incognito wrote: »

Seems interesting that the study is sponsored by the dairy association.

Only if you don't understand how study funding works.

ExistingFish

I get a lot of my protein from dairy. I consider it an important part of a budget high protein diet.

fb47

Talk about using a cherry picked data supported by the dairy industry. Dairy is great, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't take the study seriously. I doubt the dairy industry would show arguments against their own industry which is why I say not to take those studies too seriously.

deannalfisher

fb47 wrote: »

Talk about using a cherry picked data supported by the dairy industry. Dairy is great, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't take the study seriously. I doubt the dairy industry would show arguments against their own industry which is why I say not to take those studies too seriously.

why not instead of looking at the funding - look at the construction of the study - once a study is funded, its out of the hands of the funders on what happens to the research - the people researching complete it and then submit to journal for review for publishing - so the dairy farmers association has no input on what is/isn't published

for example - this "randomized, placebo‐controlled trial in 32 obese adults" - while its a smaller study group than i would like - its a relatively strong study format; protein across this one was relatively controlled (17-18% across the 3 groups)

whereas:
Ninety participants were randomized to 3 groups (n = 30/group): high protein, high dairy (HPHD), adequate protein, medium dairy (APMD), and adequate protein, low dairy (APLD) differing in the quantity of total dietary protein and dairy food-source protein consumed

it would have been better if the protein intake had been controlled across the study groups - have 3 study groups with fixed protein, variable diary and 3 with variable protein, fixed dairy would have been a better study construction

scorcher117

Y'all ever think it's weird we are the only animal that drinks another animals milk?

Gamliela

I feel fortunate to have the genetic makeup to be able to digest dairy products. I love it all, goat, cow, sheep cheese, yogurt, icecream ... hard cheese, cream cheese, soft cheese....

ccrdragon

scorcher117 wrote: »

Y'all ever think it's weird we are the only animal that drinks another animals milk?

Not true - there are lots of animals when given the opportunity will drink another animal's milk.