Diabet Med. 2005 Jun;22(6):808-11.
Avoiding milk is associated with a reduced risk of insulin resistance and
the metabolic syndrome: findings from the British Women's Heart and Health
Study.
Lawlor DA, Ebrahim S, Timpson N, Davey Smith G.
Department of Social Medicine, University of Bristol, Canynge Hall, Bristol,
UK.
Objective To examine the association of milk consumption with insulin
resistance and the metabolic syndrome. Methods The association was examined
in 4024 British women aged 60-79 who were randomly selected from primary
care centres in 23 towns. Results Women who never drank milk had lower
homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA) scores, triglyceride
concentrations and body mass indices, and higher high-density lipoprotein
(HDL)-cholesterol concentrations, than those who drank milk. The
age-adjusted odds ratio for the metabolic syndrome comparing non-milk
drinkers with drinkers was 0.55 (0.33, 0.94), which did not attenuate with
adjustment for potential confounders. Diabetes was less common in non-milk
drinkers. Conclusion Individuals who do not drink milk may be protected
against insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. However, randomized
controlled trials are required to establish whether milk avoidance is
causally associated with these outcomes. Diabet. Med. 22, 808-811 (2005).
PMID: 1591063