Daily Health News Blog

Nonfat (skim) milk is healthier than whole milk, right? Well, not according to TV’s Dr. Oz and some other purveyors of health advice. They’ve warned that removing the fat from milk leaves too high a concentration of natural sugars, and that this can play havoc with the body’s insulin response. The implication is that nonfat milk can thus raise your risk of diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases. It’s true that any sugar-loaded food can boost insulin levels. As foods are digested, sugar (glucose) enters the bloodstream, triggering the pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that “pushes” the sugar into cells where it’s used for energy. One concern, at least in theory, is that chronic consumption of insulin-boosting foods will overstimulate pancreatic cells, eventually leading to their death, as seen in diabetes. But the demonizing of nonfat milk is nonsense. It has no more sugar (lactose) than whole milk. Moreover, the regulation of blood sugar and insulin in the body