High milk consumption does not increase the risk of heart disease and type2 diabetes “and indeed may provide benefit”, a conference on milk and nutrition was told this evening.

Ian Givens, professor of food chain nutrition at the University of Reading, said many studies also showed that milk and dairy products had a reducing effect on blood pressure.

“Studies are limited in number, but they suggest that milk proteins probably play a key part in reducing both blood pressure and arterial stiffness.”

The conference, organised by the European Milk Forum with the National Dairy Council and the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, heard that dairy products had received a very mixed press in recent times, and were blamed for many disorders.

"Whilst most people understand they are very important sources of nutrients such as calcium, iodine and vitamin B12, there is more uncertainty in the public's mind about whether or not these foods contribute to increased risk of cardio metabolic disease (CMD) and indeed other chronic diseases," Prof Givens said.

“The evidence from long-term cohort studies that high milk consumption does not increase CMD risk and indeed may provide benefit is now pretty unequivocal.”

However, he said the specific effects of butter and cheese as well as benefits, if any, of fat-reduced milk and saturated fat-reduced milk were “less certain”.

He pointed to an analysis of 17 studies which found that people with the highest dairy intake were at lower risk than those with the lowest dairy intake “for all-cause deaths, for ischaemic heart disease, for stroke and for type 2 diabetes, although more studies are needed to confirm the mechanisms involved”.

Meanwhile, Prof Arne Astrup, head of the department of nutrition, exercise and sports at the University of Copenhagen, said accumulating evidence supported a role for dairy products in controlling weight.

“The mechanisms by which dairy influences energy balance are not entirely clear,” he said. “The effects of a number of nutrients within the dairy matrix are being explored.”

He said it had been suggested that low dietary calcium intake may affect appetite regulation and lead to an increased food intake “and this effect has recently been substantiated by a meta-analysis”.

Whole milk typically contains 3.5 per cent fat, while semi-skimmed milk contains no more than 1.8 per cent fat and skimmed milk has less than 0.5 per cent.