Is it safe for people with diabetes to drink milk? Expert answers | Health

People with diabetes can avoid many complications by adding the right foods to their diet. A balanced diet and the one low in fat and high in fibre is always beneficial as it helps prevent blood sugar spikes. People with diabetes are usually recommended low GI foods to help manage their condition. A variety of whole grains foods, green leafy vegetables, lean protein, nuts and seeds are all considered a part of diabetes-friendly diet. However, one food group that people with diabetes are left confused with is dairy. (Also read: Diabetes: 6 ways pulses can help prevent blood sugar spikes)

Milk is said to have fats that can raise blood sugar levels but at the same time, it also has important nutrients like protein, calcium and Vitamin D, which can help manage the disease. Certain health studies recommend consuming no-fat milk for people with diabetes to reap maximum benefit of the ‘complete food’. Besides, every individual is different, so one should monitor their blood sugar levels after consuming milk and see if it suits them.

“There is no evidence that milk can either produce diabetes or worsen diabetes and in fact it maybe beneficial for those with type 2 diabetes. Milk is also very good source of calcium particularly for pregnant women and for growing children. Therefore, milk should be continued and promoted for use for the population,” says Dr V. Mohan – Chairman and Chief Diabetologist – Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Centre in an interview with HT Digital.

How much milk is ideal for people with diabetes

Dr Mohan, however, warns that a glass of milk is ideal and a person with diabetes should avoid consuming multiple glasses of milk.

“Of course, too much of milk consumption may not be good. A glass of milk is very good but if one takes several glasses of milk there could be undesirable side effects. Moreover, people who have lactose intolerance and develop diarrhoea if they take dairy products like milk, should definitely avoid milk,” says Dr. Mohan.

Dr Mohan cites studies done by them as a part of Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiological study (CURE) where those who consumed milk and other dairy products had a lower prevalence of diabetes and this is the first evidence that diary in general and milk in particular maybe protective against type 2 diabetes.

“We then followed this with prospective long-term longitudinal studies done in very large number of people over one hundred and thirty thousand people studied in over 20 countries and 5 continents and looked at new onset diabetes and its relationship to various dairy products. We then found that diary as well as milk was protective against diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome,” adds the diabetologist.

Drinking milk can actually be beneficial in diabetes

There was very strong evidence that milk is actually beneficial for people with diabetes and hence it is a myth that taking milk is the cause of diabetes or the reason why diabetes is not well controlled.

“There were some initial studies from Scandinavia which suggested that cow’s milk if introduced too early to an infant, maybe associated with childhood onset type 1 Diabetes. However even here, this was later disproved and moreover it was not the cow’s milk which could have produced the problem but the weaning of the breast milk and not providing 6 months of only breast milk, which is what the recommended routine. If breast milk is not given but cow’s milk or any other milk is introduced too early to a child when breastfeeding should have been done, this might introduce some antigens into the body but however this too remains unproven,” says the expert.

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