Right or wrong, for more than 50 years, the general consensus has been that saturated fat consumption is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

According to Moises Torres-Gonzalez, director of nutritional research at the National Dairy Council, current dietary guidelines, therefore, place limits on saturated fat and/or saturated fat sources, including whole-milk dairy foods. Likewise, recommendations for dairy products consumption largely are limited to low-fat and fat-free versions.

However, more recently, it has been recognized that saturated fat is not a single compound but, rather, comprises a broad spectrum of fatty acids; specifically, saturated fat in dairy foods is rich in different classes of saturated fatty acids that exert differential effects on metabolic and health outcomes, he said.

Additionally, emerging scientific evidence suggests that saturated fat might not be harmful as previously thought, and regarding whole-milk dairy products (milk, cheese and yogurt), the evidence suggests that these products might be associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases.

During his presentation at the American Dairy Science Assn.'s annual meeting in Knoxville, Tenn., Torres-Gonzalez reviewed the current nutrition landscape and barriers for saturated fat, summarized the emerging scientific evidence around saturated fat and its association with cardio-metabolic diseases and looked at the emerging body of evidence on dairy foods and any connection with cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.