Should You Drink Milk? What the Research Actually Says

You've probably heard every side of the milk debate. One week it's a superfood, the next it's causing everything from acne to cancer. Your friend swears off dairy and loses 10 pounds. Meanwhile, your grandmother drank whole milk her entire life and is still going strong at 92.

Here's what makes this so confusing: milk and dairy products contain hundreds of different compounds: protein, calcium, vitamin D, saturated fat, hormones, and more. Most of these might help your health, but might not for other people. The question isn't really whether milk is "good" or "bad." It's more like asking whether a toolbox is good or bad. The answer depends on what you're trying to fix.

What Scientists Have Been Trying to Figure Out

For decades, researchers have been tracking what happens to people who drink milk regularly versus those who don't. They've looked at everything from heart attacks to cancer to diabetes. The results have been all over the place; some studies show benefits, others show risks, and many show no effect at all.

Recently, scientists have started combining these studies through meta-analyses, which basically means pooling together data from dozens of studies to get clearer answers. I've reviewed over 30 of these comprehensive analyses to see what the best evidence actually tells us.

What the Combined Evidence Shows

Let me walk you through what happens when you look at hundreds of thousands of people over many years.

Heart Health and Stroke

The cardiovascular news is mostly good. A cup of milk a day (about 200ml) appears linked to lower risks of heart disease and stroke. A 2025 analysis found that people who eat more dairy have about a 4% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and 6% lower risk of stroke. Interestingly, cheese and low-fat dairy seem to drive most of this benefit.

One thing to note: in Chinese populations, where people traditionally consume less dairy, whole milk showed a slight increase in heart disease risk but still protected against stroke. This suggests your overall diet pattern matters.

Diabetes Prevention

This is where the evidence gets really interesting. Across multiple large studies, people who eat more dairy—especially yogurt and low-fat options—develop type 2 diabetes less often. We're talking about 10-25% lower risk depending on the type of dairy.

Yogurt stands out here. Study after study shows people who eat yogurt regularly have about 17-26% lower diabetes risk compared to those who rarely eat it. Low-fat dairy shows similar benefits, with an 18-19% risk reduction. Even cheese appears to help, with an 8% lower risk per daily serving.

Cancer: It Depends

Cancer is where things get complicated because dairy seems to affect different cancers differently.

For colorectal cancer, the news is good. People who consume more dairy have about 20% lower risk. A cup of milk per day is linked to an 18% lower risk, and this protection extends to both colon and rectal cancers.

For breast cancer, results vary. Overall dairy consumption appears linked to about 9% lower risk, driven mainly by low-fat dairy and yogurt. But —and this is worth noting—some evidence suggests total milk intake might increase risk of one specific subtype (oestrogen receptor-negative breast cancer) by 31%.

The prostate cancer data gives reason for caution. Multiple analyses show higher dairy intake, particularly from whole milk, is associated with increased prostate cancer risk. One study found a 23% higher mortality risk among men who consumed high amounts of dairy.

Cancer mortality from dairy consumption shows mixed patterns. High-fat milk was linked to 17% higher cancer death rates, while fermented dairy (like yogurt and kefir) showed protective effects.

Brain Health

The brain health data looks promising. People who drink milk regularly show about 28% lower risk of cognitive disorders and dementia in combined analyses. This association appeared stronger in Asian populations, possibly because they typically consume less dairy overall.

However, there's a concerning exception: Parkinson's disease. Multiple studies consistently show that people who consume more dairy—especially low-fat milk—have 30-60% higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease. This association is particularly strong in men. Three or more servings of low-fat dairy daily was linked to 34% higher risk, and drinking skim or low-fat milk daily raised risk by 39%.

Weight Management and Metabolic Health

For people watching their weight, dairy appears helpful. Regular milk consumption is associated with 19% lower obesity risk and 21% lower risk of metabolic syndrome (the cluster of conditions that includes high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol issues).

So What Should You Actually Do?

Let me translate this into practical choices you can make today.

If you're trying to prevent diabetes or manage your weight: Yogurt is your best bet. A daily serving of plain, unsweetened yogurt (or Greek yogurt) fits naturally into most eating patterns. Throw some berries in it for breakfast, you can blend it into smoothies. Cheese also appear beneficial here.

If heart disease runs in your family: Moderate dairy intake (1-2 servings daily) looks fine and might even help. Cheese in particular seems protective. That doesn't mean loading up on cheese boards every night, but enjoying cheese in reasonable amounts fits with the evidence.

If you're a man concerned about prostate cancer: This is where you might want to limit dairy. You don't necessarily need to eliminate it, but keeping intake to one serving daily or less makes sense based on current data.

If Parkinson's disease runs in your family: Consider limiting low-fat and skim milk specifically. If you're drinking these because you think they're healthier, the Parkinson's data suggests you might want to reconsider. Whole milk, yogurt, and cheese don't show the same association.

For bone health: Despite what milk commercials told us, dairy's bone benefits are real. The calcium and vitamin D in fortified milk contribute to lower osteoporosis risk.

A note on fat content: The low-fat versus whole-fat debate depends on your goals. I don't think having low-fat milk does add much. For diabetes prevention, low-fat dairy has a slight edge. For Parkinson's risk, whole-fat appears safer. For heart health, both seem fine in moderation.

The Bottom Line

Rather than asking whether milk is good or bad, ask whether it fits your specific health situation. A cup of milk or yogurt daily appears safe and potentially beneficial for most people, especially for diabetes and heart health. The exception is if you're a man with family history of prostate cancer, or anyone with family history of Parkinson's disease, then you might want to limit dairy, particularly low-fat options.

The key is making dairy work for you, not against you. Pay attention to how your body responds, choose forms that fit your health goals, and remember that dairy is just one piece of your overall diet. The Mediterranean diet (one of the most studied eating patterns for health) includes moderate amounts of dairy, mainly as yogurt and cheese. That's probably not a coincidence.

Quick Takeaways

• One serving of yogurt daily may reduce your diabetes risk by up to 17-26%

• Dairy consumption appears linked to lower risk of colorectal cancer, heart disease, and stroke

• Men should be cautious with dairy if prostate cancer runs in the family

• If Parkinson's disease is a concern, limit low-fat and skim milk

• For most people, 1-2 servings of dairy daily fits into a healthy eating pattern

• Choose forms that match your goals: yogurt for diabetes prevention, moderate amounts for heart health