Increase dairy intake
Mainly fermented dairy. Small effects on blood pressure and some blood lipids.
Order of magnitude
Two to three portions a day, preferably yoghurt, skyr or cheese.
A weak evidence base pointing in two directions at once: fasting glucose was slightly HIGHER with more dairy across 34 studies, while HbA1c was slightly lower in only four studies with 512 participants.
Effects in detail
Each row is a directed edge from our database, with range, latency, evidence grade and the condition under which it applies at all.
| Marker | Effect | Latency | Mode of action | Outcome | Evidence | Condition | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HbA1c | helps. Lowers -0.09 percentage points of HbA1c the interval printed by the source has a lower bound equal to the point estimate and cannot be right; the point is stored, the bounds are not usable Across 44 trials, higher dairy intake was associated with slightly lower HbA1c in only four studies with 512 participants (-0.09 percentage points) while fasting glucose was slightly HIGHER (+0.07 mmol/L) across 34 studies. Grade C. | not specified | chronic | unclear | Evidence grade C | applies regardless of the starting value |
What this measure costs
Counteracting effects of the same measure.
No counteracting effect is on file for this measure. That does not mean there is none, only that we found no defensible edge.
Moves without implying progress
Informational or no established effect: the marker moves or was checked, and that is not progress.
| Marker | Effect | Latency | Mode of action | Outcome | Evidence | Condition | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOMA-IR | checked, nothing happens. No established effect Across 38 meta-analysed studies in people without diabetes, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR were not associated with increased dairy intake, while fasting glucose was slightly HIGHER (+0.07 mmol/L, 95 % CI 0.01 to 0.12). Grade C: most included studies were at high risk of bias and the authors graded the quality of evidence as very low or low. | not specified | chronic | unclear | Evidence grade C | applies regardless of the starting value |
Sources
Full details of every study the rows above rely on.
Increased Dairy Product Intake Modifies Plasma Glucose Concentrations and Glycated Hemoglobin: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
O'Connor et al. · Advances in Nutrition · 2019 · Meta-analysis