Opinion: Dairy got the all-clear this week - but was it justified?

When it comes to health claims around the food we eat, it's worth taking a closer look at the science behind the headlines, say Eirini Trichia and Professor Nita Forouhi from the MRC Epidemiology Unit, writing for The Conversation. A new study, published recently in the European Journal of Epidemiology , appeared to give dairy products a clean bill of health. The researchers found no evidence for an increased risk of cardiovascular disease or death from consuming dairy products - even full-fat dairy products. These findings were widely covered in the media - headlines mostly singled out cheese , saying it does not increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. Some of the reports claimed that saturated fats do not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but the study didn't examine saturated fat consumption itself. It's worth taking a closer look at the science behind the headlines. Key findings.