Is dairy good or bad for you?

Decades ago, there were reams of adverts instructing us to drink our milk so we don’t break our bones. But in the decades since, public opinion toward dairy is very different, and the scientific community has largely debunked these ideas. 

Many of the health-conscious among us choose to avoid it altogether. Our reasons range from a belief that dairy leads to inflammation, to acne, or even to an increased risk of heart attack due to high levels of saturated fat.  

But have we fallen into the same trap we often do, bouncing from one extreme to another? Could cutting out dairy mean we miss out on vital nutrients? Or could it hold the secret to a healthy gut microbiome?

Today, Jonathan is joined by ZOE regulars and renowned experts, Dr. Sarah Berry and Prof. Tim Spector.

In this episode, you’ll not only find out whether you should eat dairy or cut it out, but you’ll also hear two leading nutritional scientists try to reach an agreement on how to translate the latest research into actionable advice. And hopefully, they’ll still remain friends afterward. 

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Timecodes:

00:00 - Intro

00:13 - Jonathan’s Intro

01:38 - Quickfire round

02:45 - Biggest myth about dairy

04:15 - Does dairy cause inflammation? 

10:38 - Bone fragilaty

16:03 - Cheese and Yogurt

16:59 - Full fat vs semi skinned

17:27 - Milk and cholesterol

21:03 - Fermented dairy

23:00 - dairy and microbes

26:03 - Saturated fats

26:51 - Cheese quality 

31:15 - Summary

33:03 - Goodbyes

33:14 - Outro

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Episode transcripts are available here.

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