The current guidelines recommend three servings of fat-free or low-fat dairy foods a day.
The industry maintains there is enough scientific evidence to include whole-fat dairy products in the recommendations but is also concerned the advisory committee has not included that evidence in its review.
National Milk Producers Federation and International Dairy Foods Association sent a letter to the secretaries of Agriculture and Health and Human Services on Monday voicing their concerns.
“We would like to reiterate, as explained more fully in previous comments to the (advisory committee), that a body of science in recent years has found that dairy foods, regardless of fat level, appear to have either neutral or beneficial effects on chronic disease risks,” they stated.
If that happens, “this will represent a lost opportunity to share newer science with consumers, health professionals and policy makers and contribute to ongoing confusion about the healthfulness of dairy,” they said.
The dietary guidelines are something the National Dairy Council watches closely, said Greg Miller, the council’s global chief science officer.
“Being a science-based organization, we hope the process will work like it should” with science taking the lead, he said.
The evidence says dairy foods reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, regardless of the fat level, he said.
“The science has only gotten better since the last round of dietary guidelines,” he said.
The council is hoping the newest guidelines offer flexibility when it comes to fat in dairy foods and that whole-fat dairy foods can be one of the recommended choices for a healthy diet, he said.
The obstacle has been that saturated fats can increase low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol. Elevated levels of LDL cholesterol have implications for heart disease, he said.
But the structure of food impacts the body’s response to saturated fat, and the dairy food matrix seems to change the response associated with blood levels of cholesterol and risk of heart disease. Studies have shown the saturated fat in dairy foods doesn’t change blood cholesterol as would be predicted, he said.
The council has provided comments to the advisory committee and hopes the members will consider it, he said.
It does get concerned about the committee’s ability to review all available science, particularly in the different response to saturated fat in dairy. Hopefully there isn’t a broad recommendation on reduced fat, he said.
The advisory committee has been working on the new guidelines since March 2019.
