Dairy products can strengthen the bones and keep metabolic diseases at bay, a new study finds.

It is a well- known fact that dairy products are good for health, if consumed in the right amount. The biggest benefit is that it provides the body with the necessary calcium required to maintain bone health.A new study has found yet another benefit of dairy food. The study was conducted by researchers from CHU de Québec Research Center and Laval University. They found that dairy products reduce the risk of metabolic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The study was conducted to analyze whether dairy intake can control metabolic risk factors like anthropometric status, plasma glucose, plasma lipid profile, inflammatory markers and blood pressure. A total of 254 participants took part in the study. Among these, 233 (105 men and 128 women) participants had healthy metabolic profiles. All participants consumed about 2.5 portions of dairy food a day. Nearly half of the participants didn't meet Canada's Food Guide recommendations of at least 2 portions of dairy products a day.

The researchers found that trans-palmitoleic acid level was associated with lower blood pressure in men and women, and to lower body weight in men. This acid cannot be synthesized by the body and needs to be consumed through cheese, milk, yogurt and butter.

"Additional well-designed intervention studies are needed to ascertain the effects of increased dairy consumption on metabolic health in healthy and in metabolically deteriorated populations," said Dr. Iwona Rudkowska, a research scientist at the Endocrinology and Nephrology Department, at the CHU de Québec Research Center and assistant professor at Laval University in a press statement.

Another study by researchers from Lund University Diabetes Center reported similar findings. They found that consuming dairy products reduces the risk of diabetes. They noted that dairy fats affect glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity and therefore, control the development of type 2 diabetes.

"Our observations may contribute to clarifying previous findings regarding dietary fats and their food sources in relation to T2D. The decreased risk at high intakes of high- fat dairy products, but not of low-fat dairy products, indicate that dairy fat, at least partly, explains observed protective associations between dairy intake and T2D. Meat intake was associated with increased risk of developing diabetes regardless of fat content," the study authors said in a press statement.

The current study was published online in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.