Dairy diet good for consumers and the environment - UK study

A new study found that high-dairy consumers tended to have a healthier diet generally, while low-dairy consumers tended to eat more processed sugary foods and soft drinks.

John Boylan

14 March 2016

Dairy diet good for consumers and the environment - UK study

The high-dairy diets contained more calcium, iodine, vitamin B12, riboflavin and saturated fats.

Dr Ditte Hobbs from the University of Reading gave a paper at a recent conference in Westminster on how different amounts of dairy products compare in meeting nutritional requirements, as well as the environmental impact of production.

Her study investigated four different diets from high-dairy to dairy-free consumption.

She also looked at the cost and nutritional benefits of the diets, using parameters such as land use, greenhouse gas emissions.

Nutritional needs

The high-dairy diets contained more calcium, iodine, vitamin B12, riboflavin and saturated fats. The low-dairy diet did not meet some of the UK government’s recommended requirements for these nutrients, except for the ones that had these synthetically added.

Dr Hobbs said further research needs to be done to find out how the nutritional requirements of an expanding world population can be met without costing the earth.