There are countless stories on social media claiming certain nutritious foods, from tomatoes and bell peppers (night shade vegetables) to grapeseed and sunflower oil (seed oils), cause inflammation in the body.
Dairy is another food often accused of stoking inflammation. It’s not uncommon for people to explain to me, as a dietitian, that they avoid milk and dairy products for this very reason.
While it’s unlikely that one single food causes ongoing inflammation, your overall diet certainly plays a role in triggering – and reducing – inflammation levels in the body.
Here’s what we know about the link between dairy and inflammation, plus which foods belong in an anti-inflammatory diet.
Acute versus chronic inflammation
Short-lived bouts of inflammation are normal; they’re a necessary part of the body’s immune response to a sudden injury, infection or irritant.
When you cut your finger or have the flu, for example, your immune system sends out inflammatory chemical messengers to begin repair and healing. As your body heals, acute inflammation subsides.
The problem, though, is when this inflammatory response persists when it’s no longer needed.
Chronic inflammation, lasting for months or years, can silently harm healthy cells and tissues. Over time, ongoing inflammation can contribute to chronic illnesses including atherosclerosis, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, dementia and depression.
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Factors that increase the risk of chronic inflammation include aging, obesity, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, exposure to pollution, stress, inadequate sleep, low physical activity and poor diet.
Autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and psoriasis, also contribute to ongoing inflammation.
Does dairy promote inflammation?
The idea that dairy increases inflammation likely stems from the fact that diets high in saturated fat – which cheese, cream, butter and ice cream contain a lot of – increase inflammation. (Even so, there’s no clear evidence that saturated fat in dairy foods promotes inflammation in the body.)
A 2018 research review reported that most, but not all, observational studies and clinical trials found that dairy – both high-fat and low-fat milk products – had no effect on levels of inflammatory markers in the bloodstream.
Conflicting findings may be due to different study designs and participant characteristics, including their diets and other lifestyle habits.
Plus, “dairy” encompasses a range of foods – e.g., milk (skim vs. full-fat), yogurt, cheese – with varying nutrient profiles and bioactive components.
A review of 15 studies, published in 2019, concluded that the consumption of dairy products did not increase inflammation in healthy individuals, as well as those living with obesity, metabolic syndrome or Type 2 diabetes.
In fact, the findings hinted that dairy foods had a weak anti-inflammatory effect.
A 2021 analysis of randomized controlled trials also indicated that dairy foods did not increase markers of chronic inflammation.
Included in this analysis was one study that used an inflammatory score to evaluate the effect of dairy on inflammation in 52 trials. Overall, the inflammatory score was lower in diets containing dairy, with similar results for low-fat and high-fat products.
Dairy foods did, however, promote inflammation in participants with a cow’s milk allergy.
A focus on fermented dairy
Findings from trials that investigated specific dairy foods suggest that fermented dairy products, such as yogurt and kefir, have anti-inflammatory effects.
Observational research also suggests fermented foods guard against inflammation.
An analysis of three large U.S. studies, published in 2019, found that increasing yogurt consumption was associated with a lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, an inflammatory disease.
Fermented milk products contain probiotics, beneficial bacteria that support a healthy gut microbiome. They also contain bioactive proteins and fats thought to exert anti-inflammatory effects.
More research is needed to fully understand how fermented dairy foods influence inflammation.
Overall, the evidence does not support the notion that consuming dairy increases inflammation in people who aren’t allergic to dairy. Instead, dairy appears to have a neutral effect on inflammation.
The diet-inflammation connection
To help keep inflammation at bay, focus on your overall eating pattern rather than one or two specific foods.
Dietary patterns associated with lower levels of inflammation include a daily intake of a variety of anti-inflammatory foods, such as vegetables, whole fruit, high-fibre whole grains, pulses (beans, chickpeas, lentils), herbs and spices. They also contain healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds.
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The vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, healthy fats and fibre in these foods, which can work together, are thought to help combat inflammation by shielding cells from oxidative stress, reducing the production of inflammatory immune compounds and promoting a healthy gut microbiome.
At the same time, anti-inflammatory eating patterns limit refined grains, added sugars, sugar-sweetened drinks, processed and red meats and fried foods, foods considered pro-inflammatory if eaten in high amounts.
Keep in mind, too, that well-studied anti-inflammatory diet patterns like the Mediterranean and DASH diets contain some dairy.
Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan. Follow her on X @LeslieBeckRD
