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Eating full fat yogurt daily can reduce the risk of obesity by almost a fifth, research has suggested
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor7:45AM BST 31 May 2014
Eating full-fat yogurt daily could help you lose weight faster than eating low fat yogurt, surprising new research has shown.
People who ate at least one small 125g pot of full fat yogurt a day were 19 per cent less likely to be obese compared to those who ate less than two pots a week.
However, eating low fat yogurt did not appear to have any impact on the risk of obesity. Experts believe this may be due to the extra sugar added to low fat versions.
The effects were most marked in people who already ate a healthy Mediterranean diet, high in fish, vegetables and olive oil.
In this group those who ate one pot of yogurt per day were 25 per cent less likely to be obese than those who ate two pots a week without the Mediterranean diet.
Professor Miguel Martinez-Gonzalez, University of Navarra, Spain, said: “Yogurt it just one food and cannot counterbalance an overall unhealthy diet.
“But for people with good adherence to a Mediterranean diet then yogurt provided an additional benefit.
“The results are probably a result of people eating yogurt, particularly with fruit, instead of creamy, high fat desserts.
“Yogurt also modifies the gut bacteria which can have a beneficial effect on overall health.”
The findings were presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Overall, people who ate at least one small pot of yogurt per day were 12 per cent less likely to be obese compared with people who ate less than two pots a week.
Low-fat yogurt consumption was not found to reduce obesity risk and this may be due to the higher sugar content or that people who are already overweight switch to low-fat products, skewing the finding.
The research was based on a subsample of 8,516 men and women who were initially a healthy weight.
They were followed up for more than six years, during which time 1860 were identified as overweight or obese.
The greatest effect of yogurt on obesity was found in people who ate full fat yogurt and a rich Mediterranean diet who were 36 per cent less likely to be obese than those who did not eat yogurt often and did not follow the Mediterranean diet.
A diet high in yogurt and fruit was linked with a 21 per cent lower risk of obesity, it was found.
Registered dietitian, Jennifer Low, spokesman for The British Dietetic Association, said: “If someone is choosing yogurt and fruit over cake and ice cream of course they are more likely to be able to keep their weight under control.
“You need to be careful with the type of yogurt you choose as some low fat yogurts contain 14g or 15g of sugar per 100g. If you stick to natural unsweetened yogurt you are getting half the sugar.
“The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be beneficial for our health in lots of ways, it is very low in sugar, low in processed food, high in salads, vegetables and healthy fats.
“If people are eating healthily overall in a moderate portion size it is not going to matter if they choose wholemilk yogurt.
“Eating small amount and feel satisfied and enjoy your food is better than eating a low fat yogurt, not feeling satisfied and then turn to biscuits and chocolate.”