Dairy Consumption, Lactase Persistence, and Mortality Risk in a Cohort From Southern Sweden

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Epidemiology
• Genetics

Background:

• The relationship between high dairy consumption and longevity remains uncertain.
• Prospective cohort studies with detailed dietary data are needed to clarify this association.
• Wide variations in dairy consumption patterns exist across populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between various dairy product intakes and all-cause mortality.
• To examine the role of a genetic marker for lactase persistence in relation to dairy consumption and mortality.
• To analyze dairy consumption patterns in a Swedish population cohort.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 26,190 participants from the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort.
• Dietary intake assessed via 7-day food records and food questionnaires, focusing on non-fermented milk, fermented milk, cheese, cream, and butter.
• Genetic analysis of the rs4988235 polymorphism for lactase persistence in 22,234 participants.

Main Results:

• Consuming over 1,000 g/day of non-fermented milk was associated with a 34% higher mortality risk compared to <200 g/day.
• Higher intake of fermented milk and cheese was inversely associated with mortality.
• Lactase persistence genotype (CT/TT) was linked to higher non-fermented milk intake but not significantly to increased mortality risk.

Conclusions:

• High consumption of non-fermented milk (>1,000 g/day) may be associated with increased mortality.
• Fermented milk and cheese consumption appear to be associated with lower mortality.
• Further research is warranted to explore the differential health effects of various dairy products and the utility of genetic markers in larger populations.