Wageningen and Harvard University researchers examined 17 studies from Europe, the U.S. and Japan, and found no link between the consumption of regular or low-fat dairy and any increased risk of heart disease, stroke or total mortality.

"Milk and dairy are the most nutritious and healthy foods available and loaded with naturally occurring nutrients, such as calcium, potassium and protein, to name a few," said Cindy Schweitzer, technical director, Global Dairy Platform.

"It`s about going back to the basics; maintaining a healthy lifestyle doesn`t have to be a scientific equation," she said.

An Israeli study published in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition showed that a higher dairy calcium intake is related to greater diet-induced weight loss.

The study, which sampled more than 300 overweight men and women during two years, revealed that those with the highest dairy calcium intake lost 38% more weight than those with the lowest dairy calcium intake.

From the August 22, 2011, Prepared Foods' Daily News.