Science Summary: Dairy Innovations & Lactose Intolerance

Dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yogurt are foundational foods in healthy dietary patterns.

Consuming dairy foods helps Americans meet recommendations for important shortfall nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D and potassium, and contributes several other essential nutrients, too. An emerging body of research indicates that eating dairy foods may also be linked with reduced risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

However, most Americans do not meet the recommendations for dairy foods from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). Lactose intolerance (LI) as well as concerns about added sugars and saturated fats may lead some individuals to avoid or reduce dairy food consumption, which can result in missing out on the essential nutrients in dairy foods and the health benefits linked with adequate dairy consumption. Recent evidence indicates that dairy foods with little—or no—lactose and/or added sugars are now widely available in the U.S.

Evidence also indicates that whole- and reduced-fat dairy foods can be included in healthy dietary patterns. A variety of nutrient-dense milk, cheese and yogurt options are widely available so Americans can select dairy foods to meet their nutrient needs and taste preferences and move closer to meeting recommendations for healthy dietary patterns from the 2020-2025 DGA.

You can download our full report, “Science Summary: Dairy Innovation,” to learn more.