Specific plasma lipid classes and phospholipid fatty acids indicative of dairy food consumption associate with insulin sensitivity.

Background: Reports have suggested that the consumption of dairy foods may reduce risk of type 2 diabetes on the basis of evidence of raised circulating ruminant fatty acids.

Objective: We determined whether certain phospholipid species and fatty acids that are associated with full-fat dairy consumption may also be linked to diminished insulin resistance.

Design: Four variables of insulin resistance and sensitivity were defined from oral-glucose-tolerance tests in 86 overweight and obese subjects with metabolic syndrome.