This year we are getting new Norwegian dietary advice. The Norwegian Directorate of Health has been clear that the advice should be based on the new Nordic dietary guidelines that came in 2023. But if the advice is to appear credible to consumers, it must be based on what the research actually shows. We who write this post are part of the academic staff at a college that runs nutrition studies. We are challenged daily on the knowledge base for dietary advice through the teaching we offer. Theory in textbooks cannot be reproduced uncritically, but must be put in context with the latest research. Because the knowledge base is changing. But our dietary advice doesn’t keep up. We have long been advised to choose low-fat dairy products. The advice is based on the so-called cholesterol hypothesis. According to the hypothesis, saturated fat – for example from full-fat dairy products – will lead to elevated blood cholesterol, which in turn will lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. But this is not what we see from the research on full-fat dairy products. As the science that has actually investigated the connection between milk fat and cardiovascular disease has strengthened, the hypothesis has weakened. Many studies show no link between the saturated milk fat and cardiovascular disease. Many people associate full-fat dairy products with better health. In the work on new Nordic dietary guidelines, we have followed this theme closely. Based on up-to-date research, we have recorded proposals for a change to the advice on milk fat, both before the process and during the process. Despite the fact that the knowledge base does not indicate that dairy products should be low-fat, the recommendation was nevertheless included in the Nordic dietary guidelines. We believe that when the Norwegian Dietary Guidelines are now to be revised, we should avoid consequential errors. We should be free to choose dairy products according to preference, and not according to an assumed health effect that is not reflected in the research. But isn’t everyone free to do that, then? Linda Granlund, division director in the Directorate of Health, has emphasized on Forskning.no that the dietary guidelines are neither regulations nor law: “We would like more people to eat completely in line with the dietary guidelines (…) This is the best knowledge about food and health, so get grown people choose for themselves.” We believe that the importance of the advice here is played down. We must be aware that the councils have significant importance for large groups in society. The dietary advice affects the education of healthcare personnel. They influence the kind of food we can buy both in grocery stores and in restaurants, through the agreement of intent between the health authorities and the food industry. They also influence the kind of diet that is actually offered, for example in nurseries, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and prisons, because the dietary advice is the basis for guidelines for public food care. Trust in the dietary guidelines is therefore absolutely crucial for future preventive health work. In that case, the dietary advice must be well scientifically justified, and when the knowledge base dictates it, we must change the advice. Here is our proposal for new wording: Milk and dairy products can be part of your daily diet.
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Fat or light – Speech
