The Study
Consumption of dairy products and associations with incident diabetes, CHD and mortality in the Whitehall II study.
This study watched what people ate for 10 years and saw if they got sick or died. It found that people who ate more yogurt and cheese were less likely to die, but that doesn’t mean yogurt kept them alive — maybe they just ate healthier overall. It’s like noticing people who wear running shoes live longer — it doesn’t mean the shoes made them live longer.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
Scientists tracked what people ate and whether they got sick or died over 10+ years to see if dairy foods like yogurt and cheese made a difference.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 552 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1A 35% lower death risk sounds big, but it's based on observational data — it doesn't prove yogurt causes longer life, just that people who ate more yogurt tended to live longer.
- 2People who ate more yogurt and cheese (fermented dairy) were 35% less likely to die during the study.
- 3Eating regular milk, cheese alone, or other dairy didn't change risk of diabetes or heart disease.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The British journal of nutrition
Year
2013
Authors
S. Soedamah-Muthu, G. Masset, L. Verberne, J. Geleijnse, E. Brunner
Related Content
Claims (5)
People who ate more fermented dairy products like yogurt and cheese over 12 years had a 35% lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who ate less, after accounting for lifestyle, diet, and body weight.
Over 10 years, people who consumed more or less dairy—including high-fat, low-fat, and milk—had the same rate of developing type 2 diabetes.
Among middle-aged adults, the link between lower death rates and eating fermented dairy products disappeared when accounting for all dairy consumption, showing that only fermented dairy, not other dairy products, was associated with reduced mortality.
Eating different types of dairy products, including full-fat and low-fat milk and cheese, does not show a statistically significant link to developing coronary heart disease over 10 years in middle-aged adults.
Among middle-aged adults, higher consumption of yogurt was linked to a slightly lower risk of death from any cause, while cheese consumption showed no such link.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.