Do I need to eat dairy to be healthy?

Last updated 31/01/2025

The World Health Organization estimates that up to 80% of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, and more than one-third of cancers worldwide, could be prevented by eliminating smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol.¹

The Australian Dietary Guidelines use the best available scientific evidence to provide information on the types and amounts of food that promote health and reduce the risk of disease. These guidelines say that eating milk, cheese and yoghurt can reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer – some of the main causes of death in Australia.²

However, according to the most recent Australian health survey, only 10% of Australians were consuming enough milk, cheese and yoghurt for optimal health.³

Dairy foods are naturally high in nutrients such as calcium, carbohydrate and protein. Calcium is important for building and maintaining healthy bones and teeth, but the health benefits associated with dairy foods extend beyond this. They can play an important role in achieving good nutrition throughout both childhood and adulthood.

Dairy foods are beneficial for heart health and blood pressure. A global study comparing dairy intakes of over 130,000 people in 21 countries found that those who ate three serves of dairy foods each day had lower rates of cardiovascular disease and mortality compared to people who ate less than three serves, and multiple studies show that three daily serves of milk, yoghurt and cheese is linked to a reduced risk of hypertension.^4,5

Dairy can also help you to maintain a healthy weight, an important factor in overall health. Studies have shown that people who try to lose weight by restricting calories and still include at least three serves of dairy foods every day, lose more weight, body fat and centimetres from their waist compared to people who ate fewer serves of dairy food.⁶