Milk-and-Dairy-Products-in-Human-Nutrition-FAO

Chapter 5 – Dairy components, products and human health 225
impact of individual dairy products, in general, dairy can be consumed as part of a
healthy, balanced diet.
Milk fat is highly complex, consisting of a large number of fatty acids and
other lipid molecules that have a variety of effects on human health. The relationship
between milk-fat intake and health impact is complex (German et al., 2009).
FAO and WHO (2010a) recommends that total intake of SFAs should not exceed
10 percent of energy and SFAs should be replaced with PUFAs to reduce the risk
of CHD. At current intake levels, rTFA do not appear to be major contributors to
CHD risk but further investigation is needed and both iTFA and rTFA should be
considered when assessing disease risk (Mozaffarian, Aro and Willett, 2009). Milk
is considered to be an excellent source of essential amino acids for human nutrition,
growth and development (Kanwar et al., 2009). Milk protein has a high PDCAAS
and the protein fraction contains peptides and other bioactive factors that may
have specific effects on growth and recovery from undernutrition (Michaelsen et
al., 2011). Although bioactive peptides and other dairy ingredients such as CLA
represent an opportunity for future research, consideration must be given to any
potential adverse health effects.
Nutritional composition can be altered through fermentation and fortification.
Fermented products have been linked with positive health outcomes and fortification
of milk and dairy products have been shown to be a useful means of increasing
nutrient intake and improving optimal nutrient status. It is now possible to remove
specific dairy components, such as lactose and fat, for consumers with special
dietary requirements and lactose intolerance.
Balance and variety is fundamental to healthy eating. Given the diversity of
dairy products with differing compositions, ideally the consumer should be aware
of the product’s overall nutritional profile and how it can contribute positively or
negatively to the diet. Today’s consumers receive nutrition information and dietary
advice on dairy consumption from a variety of sources. As illustrated in Chapter 4,
many countries recommend low-fat milk and dairy products. These recommendations
can be traced to the 1980s in the United States. The resulting demand for lowfat
products provided an incentive to the dairy industry to develop new products
and reformulate existing ones. However, some of the products advertised as low
fat and “better for your health” may have higher sugar content. It is important to
consider the impact of reduction of one nutrient on the food and the diet as a whole
(Gibson, 1996; Maziak, Ward and Stockton, 2008).
Whether dairy products or components, such as whey or bioactive peptides,
can offer an additional health benefit other than their nutritional value has not
been consistently proved by scientific studies. To date, many products claimed as
being “health-enhancing” lack the scientific evidence to merit claims. The subject of
health and nutrition claims has received considerable attention from both industry
and regulators. The general consensus amongst the legislators is that the regulatory
framework should protect the consumer from false information, promote fair
trade and encourage innovation in the food industry that can ultimately translate
into healthier lifestyles (Roupas, Williams and Margetts, 2009). The debate over
the validity of health claims has been particularly active in Europe, and the EU
framework now includes regulations on the use of nutrition claims (such as “low
fat” or “no added sugar”) and health claims (such as “reduces blood cholesterol”).