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Is Dairy Inflammatory?

This blog post is going to be on the shorter side, because in other posts and subjects I ramble on and on and digress from the actual topic, but this time, I just kept it simple. I know you don’t have all the time in the world, so some of them need to be quick and straight to the point. So, here we go…..

No, dairy is not inflammatory. Although, it is commonly believed myth that dairy does cause inflammation….mostly because of the diets that restrict the consumption, the saturated fat, and of course, lactose intolerance. But, just because something gives you gas, or gives you an upset stomach, doesn’t mean its inflammatory or causes lasting damage. Dairy and a lactose intolerance does not cause inflammation, nor does it result from inflammation.

 

You might think of inflammation as being bloated or gassy. But those are different things all together. A food being inflammatory means it is harmful to the body, which spurs your immune system to take action. Our bodies aren’t made to constantly deal with stressors like this, which will result in plaque building up in artery walls and can cause heart attacks and strokes. You don’t necessarily have to have swelling at joints to have inflammation. Although, inflammation is also when you get injured or hurt, your body sends inflammatory cells to the injury to help with healing process, that’s acute inflammation, and that’s the good stuff. What we don’t want is chronic inflammation, the chronic eating of highly processed foods, sugars, etc. Your body constantly trying to fight this battle of dealing with things that shouldn’t be in it. With the rise of these chronic inflammatory diseases, it’s important to know what foods are and are not inflammatory in excess consumption.

 

Dairy has actually been shown to have an ANTI-inflammatory effect in people with metabolic disorders [1] and has been shown to improve several inflammatory bio markers [2]. The great thing about this is that you no longer have to be scared of dairy, but also, those with a lactose intolerance can enjoy their favorite dairy snacks in moderation without the fear of long term negative side effects. So, enjoying the occasional ice cream is not a bad thing.

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