Skim milk, low-fat yogurt and cheese may help reduce body fat, especially in women. This is good news, especially for the 97 million Americans who are overweight. A Tennessee study shows that calcium in low-fat dairy foods triggers a hormonal response that inhibits the body's production of fat cells and boosts breakdown of fat. The study found that women who consumed the most low-fat dairy products were 80 percent less likely to be obese. Slow down the breakdown.
Milk contains plasmin, an enzyme that breaks down proteins.
Plasmin helps cheese ripen faster and taste better, but it also can degrade milk products or products that contain whey from milk. Purdue researchers are isolating two enzyme inhibitors naturally present in milk that might control plasmin activity. By controlling plasmin, food processors may make tastier cheese and higher quality bakery products, meat and nutritional beverages. They may also lower production costs for those products. Cows in the program produced about 6,000 pounds more milk per year than non-DHIA cows.