Science Summary: Nutrient Contributions of Dairy Foods

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends low-fat or fat-free dairy foods, such as milk, cheese and yogurt, as a part of healthy eating patterns that have been linked to health benefits, including lower risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Dairy’s nutrient contributions have been noted in all the DGAs since the first one was released in 1980. Eating dairy foods help Americans meet recommendations for calcium, vitamin D and potassium, three of the four underconsumed nutrients of public health concern. Dairy foods also make important contributions to consumption of protein, magnesium, vitamin A and other nutrients in the U.S. diet.

You can download our full report, “Science Summary: Nutrient Contributions,” which shows further support for consuming low-fat or fat-free dairy foods as recommended in the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.