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Lipids and Cardiovascular/Metabolic Health

Circulating inflammatory and atherogenic biomarkers are not increased following single meals of dairy foods

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 66, pages 25–31 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Background/Objectives:

Inflammation characterizes obesity and is nutritionally modifiable. The hypothesis of this study is that full-fat dairy foods influence circulating inflammatory and atherogenic biomarkers according to fermentation status.

Subjects/Methods:

Thirteen overweight subjects participated in five test meals. Single breakfasts containing control low-fat milk or 45 g fat from butter, cream, yoghurt or cheese were tested over 3 weeks. Plasmas obtained 3 and 6 h were later analyzed for inflammatory markers interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α and high-sensitive C-reactive protein, and atherogenesis-related markers monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. A 4-week study in 12 subjects compared the effects on these biomarkers of diets containing ∼50 g dairy fat daily as either butter, cream and ice cream (non-fermented) or cheese plus yoghurt (fermented) dairy foods.

Results:

In single-meal study, one outlier subject showed marked increments in biomarkers, hence the following results apply to 12. Within group analysis includes significant falls at 3 h in four inflammatory markers after cream, butter and low fat, and three atherogenesis-related biomarkers after cream. Changes were few after cheese and yoghurt. By 6 h, most values returned to baseline. However, between group analysis showed no differences between the five meals. The 4-week study showed no significant differences in fasting biomarker concentrations between non-fermented and fermented dairy diets.

Conclusions:

Single high-fat meals containing sequentially four different full-fat dairy foods did not increase eight circulating biomarkers related to inflammation or atherogenesis. Among subjects, significant falls occurred at 3 h in inflammatory biomarkers after cream and butter but were not specific for full-fat dairy foods. We could not confirm the reported increments in inflammation after fat meals.

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Acknowledgements

The following food companies contributed to a grant-in-aid through the Dairy Health and Nutrition Consortium and provided bulk quantities of butter, cheese and ice cream: Tatura Milk Industries and Bega Cheese, National Foods, Fonterra Australia, Parmalat Australia, Geoffrey Gardiner Foundation, Murray-Goulburn Co-operative, Warrnambool Cheese and Butter, Dairy Innovation Australia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Lipoproteins and Lipidomics & Metabolomics, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    P J Nestel, S Pally, G L MacIntosh, M A Greeve, S Middleton, J Jowett & P J Meikle

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  1. P J Nestel
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  2. S Pally
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  3. G L MacIntosh
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Correspondence to P J Nestel.

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Nestel, P., Pally, S., MacIntosh, G. et al. Circulating inflammatory and atherogenic biomarkers are not increased following single meals of dairy foods. Eur J Clin Nutr 66, 25–31 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2011.134

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