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To promote the health benefits of omega-3 essential fatty acids, a new study led by Washington State University has recently discovered that organic milk includes a significantly higher quantity of the heart-healthy fats than regular milk from cows on conventional dairy farms.
While all milk offers heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, the brand new research concludes that organic whole milk is the greatest supply of this essential nutrient. Additionally, organic milk can be a better choice due to the fact that conventional milk comes with an average omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio of 5.8, that is more than double those of organic milk’s 2.3.
According to a National Institutes of Health factsheet on omega-3 essential fatty acids, “Most American diets provide more than Ten times just as much omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids. There is general agreement that individuals should consume more omega-3 and less omega-6 essential fatty acids to promote a healthy body.”
While Omega-6 essential fatty acids are important within the diet to some degree, in larger amounts they’re of a number of health issues, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases. The larger the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3, the greater the probability of developing disease.
The WSU study may be the first large-scale, US-wide comparison of organic and conventional milk. They tested about 400 samples of both types of dairy product over an 18-month period to come to their conclusions.
Much studies have been published showing that foraging on grass and legumes promotes cow health insurance and increases the essential fatty acid profile in organic dairy products.
Charles Benbrook, the study’s lead author from WSU, asserted, despite all the research proof, he and the team were “surprised through the magnitude from the nutritional quality differences we documented within this study.”
Most western diets come with an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of between 10-to-1 and 15-to-1. The 2.3-to-1 ratio found in organic milk is considered to maximize heart health. Benbrook and colleagues modeled a hypothetical diet for adult women having a baseline ratio of 11.3-to-1 and looked at how far three interventions could go in reducing that ratio to two.3.
They discovered that by switching from three daily servings of conventional dairy products to 4.5 servings of full-fat organic milk products, adult women could achieve nearly 40 percent of that nine-point needed ratio stop by their daily diets. Additionally, by avoiding several foods every day considered high in omega-6 fatty acids, women could lower their fatty acid ratio to about 4-to-1, about 80 percent of the way to the 2.3-to-1 ratio goal.
“Surprisingly simple food choices can result in much better levels of the healthier fats we have seen in organic milk,” said Benbrook.
Inside a blog coinciding with the research, that was published within the Dec. 9 online issue of PLoS ONE, Benbrook noted that there’s “no magic number or universal agreement on the optimal omega-6/omega-3 ratio within the human diet” therefore the team opted for the often-noted target of two.3-to-1.
“Our findings would not have differed much had we chosen the less ambitious goal of 5. We quantified the progress made as a result of the dietary interventions when it comes to percent progress from the baseline ratio of 11.3 towards the heart-health target of two.3 (i.e., an overall total drop of 9 points would be desirable within the worth of the omega-6/omega-3 ratio),” he added.
Benbrook said hello is likely that his team’s research will trigger some discussion and debate. Among the likely topics: “The current balance of essential fatty acid intakes within the American diet, the roll [sic] of full-fat milk and dairy products in health promotion and the development of youngsters, and steps consumers can take to advance toward a healthier mixture of fats within their diet.”
Organic milk analysis for Benbrook’s study originated from cows managed by farmer-owners of the Cooperative Parts of Organic Producer Pools (CROPP), which markets through the Organic Valley brand. Both of these organizations also helped fund the study but didn’t have role in its design or analysis. The study also received funding in the Measure to handle program in the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources at Washington State University.
