In an effort to educate on the benefits of dairy foods beyond calcium and bone health, researchers met earlier this week to present a symposium at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo held in New Orleans.

The symposium was called "Dairy Foods: More than Just Good Nutrition." The goal was to share research that supports dairy foods as a functional food, providing numerous health benefits beyond the "calcium leads to bone health" association that consumers readily recognise.

One of the key topics was the role of dairy in controlling body weight. According to Dr. Michael Zemel of the University of Tennessee, various studies indicate that calcium plays a role in fighting obesity by regulating fat metabolism. His research also suggests that calcium from dairy sources provides a greater anti-obesity effect than calcium from supplements.

Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders of Dairy and Food Culture Technologies discussed probiotics, which are linked to an enhanced immune function to help prevent infection, a healthier gut, and fewer symptoms of food allergy and lactose intolerance. Probiotics are "good bacteria" found in select dairy products such as yoghurt, kefirs and fortified milks.

Other topics of discussion included an overview of the functional aspects of dairy foods presented by Dr. Jim Harper of Ohio State University; potential immune modulators in dairy foods presented by Dr. Kent Erickson of the University of California at Davis; milk's role in the prevention of colon cancer and other diseases presented by Dr. Eva Schmelz of Wayne State University; and the genetic basis for emerging nutritional benefits from milk presented by Dr. Bruce German of the University of California at Davis.

The symposium was co-sponsored by Dairy Council of California , Dairy Foods Division of IFT, and Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods Division of IFT. Industry sponsors include Kraft , Chr. Hansen , Nestle and Rhodia .

Source: Dairy Council of California