The importance of animal products in meeting global needs for food security is well established, and public health organizations around the world include milk and other dairy products in recommendations for a healthy, well-balanced diet. Dairy products are an important source for many vital nutrients including high quality protein, energy, and many essential minerals and vitamins (Bauman and Capper, 2011). However, dairy products are also a major food source of saturated fat, accounting for 20-30% ofthe saturated fat intake for the US population (USDA/USDHHS, 2010). For over a half-century, saturated fat has been demonized as the major cause of cardiovascular vascular disease and public health recommendations are to reduce dietary intake of saturated fat and food products containing saturated fatty acids (FA). As a consequence, the perception of the public, and much of the scientific community, is that milk fat is a negative component of dairy products and typical dietary advice is to consume only reduced-fat or no-fat dairy products. The net effect of this recommendation over the last 50 years has been a progressive reduction in fluid milk consumption and a shift toward fluid milk products containing less fat (Table 1).
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