Expert says breakfast superfood can stop diabetes and prevent fat absorption

A nutritional expert has explained how an everyday breakfast product can transform the chances of getting type 2 diabetes - and also help weight loss. The key ingredient is plain yoghurt - and one which has a great many health benefits.

Not only is it crammed with “good” bacteria, making it a highly gut-friendly food, but it also contains protein and calcium for healthy bones and muscles. A study by the Medical Research Council’s epidemiology unit at the University of Cambridge found that people who eat plain yoghurt regularly had a 28 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who never ate it. And one expert said it even makes it harder for the body to absorb fat from food, aiding losing the pounds

Researchers, who analysed data from 5,000 people, reported in Nutrition and Cancer journal that eating 40g of yoghurt every day helped to lower the risk of liver cancer by 5.4 per cent. Ian Marber, a nutrition therapist said: “Plain yoghurt has lots of health benefits and is often cheaper than trendy alternatives.”

Researchers at the University of Washington who tracked more than 80,000 people for 25 years, revealed how eating at least two portions of yoghurt a week cuts by a fifth the risk of pre-cancerous growths, or adenoma, which can grow in glandular organs such as the prostate. In findings published in the journal Gut of all those who took part the participants, all of whom had a lower-bowel endoscopy to examine the inside of their gut, it was the yoghurt eaters who had 19 per cent fewer growths and 26 per cent fewer of the highest risk variety.

At the Medical Research Council epidemiology unit at the University of Cambridge, researchers reported that people who consumed yoghurt regularly had a 28 per cent lower risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes than those who never ate it.

However, some of the most impressive benefits have been seen by researchers looking at the anti-inflammatory effects of yoghurt. Usually, inflammatory markers in the body rise after a meal, more so when the food is high in fat and sugar. And high levels of inflammation are associated with conditions such as heart disease, arthritis and asthma.

Yoghurt is a good source of iodine, vitamins D, B2 and B12, and zinc. Mr Marber said it is a good source of protein and, like milk, also contains the “most widely available and easily absorbed form of calcium”. W

Dr Caroline Childs, a researcher in nutritional sciences at the University of Southampton said “Broadly speaking, yoghurt is a very good thing. It’s a useful way to get probiotics or friendly bacteria and it tastes good. There are some studies that have suggested consuming calcium-rich foods like yoghurt make it harder for the body to absorb fat from food,. But it needs to be plain milk yoghurt, with nothing else added to it, to have these effects.”