Drinking low-fat milk could slow down aging process

Switching to reduced-fat milk could slow down aging and help you live longer, according to a new study.

The study revealed that every 1 percent increase in milk fat consumed — drinking 2 percent vs. 1 percent milk — translated to more than four years in additional biological aging.

“It was surprising how strong the difference was,” the study’s lead author, professor Larry Tucker from Brigham Young University said.

“If you’re going to drink high-fat milk, you should be aware that doing so is predictive of or related to some significant consequences.”

The research, published in the journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, analyzed the genes of almost 6,000 US adults.

Cell stress

Researchers worked out the age of DNA by looking at the length of telomeres, a compound in human chromosomes that get shorter with age.

They believe that the saturated fat in high-fat milk puts stress on a person’s cells, which can cause damage and contribute to the death of tissues in the body.

The researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey as well as carrying out questionnaires on 5,834 people.

Nearly half of the people in the study consumed milk daily and another quarter consumed milk at least weekly.

Just under a third consumed whole milk and another 30 percent reported drinking 2 percent milk. Ten percent reported consuming 1 percent milk and 17 percent drank nonfat milk.

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