More About Dairy Nutrition

A key contributor to global nourishment

For less than 10% of energy (calories), milk is the leading contributor of calcium (49%), vitamin B2 (24%), the essential amino acid, lysine (18%), and dietary fat (15%) to global dietary patterns. Milk also contributes more than 10% of total protein, B-vitamins, vitamin A, phosphorous and potassium to global dietary patterns.

An important contributor to healthy sustainable diets and food systems

The goal of a healthy sustainable food system is to achieve food security for all, where people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. That makes efficiency a key attribute of sustainable dietary patterns, in which you can achieve nutritional adequacy with fewer environmental resources, while being affordable, accessible, and culturally acceptable. Foods that are nutrient-rich and deliver the highest quality nutrition for the least amount of energy are efficient, and thus contribute to sustainable dietary patterns.

A protein powerhouse

Protein is essential in the human diet because of the involvement of amino acids in key metabolic pathways and for the maintenance of muscle mass and function. Dairy foods contain high-quality protein, with all the indispensable amino acids necessary for growth and survival, and are leading contributors of protein to healthy, sustainable diets globally.

A unique food matrix

Historically, the nutritional evaluation of dairy foods and their impact on human health have primarily been based on the presence or absence of individual nutrients, such as calcium or saturated fat. More recently, the nuanced role of nutrient and non-nutrient interactions within the dairy matrix as well the implications of food processing such as heating or fermentation on various health indices have been more extensively studied.

Early research in this field suggests that dairy foods are more than the sum of their parts, and that natural reactions that occur between those parts, as well as chemical changes that occur during processing, can affect the way dairy foods are digested, absorbed, and impact human health. Evidence to date indicates dairy foods are unique delivery vehicles for nutrients and bioactive components that beneficially impact health.