India's dairy industry consists of a wide-range of both regional and international products including fermentable and non-fermentable products. Curd and yoghurt are considered valuable segments of the industry. One can find the references to yoghurt and health date back to 6000 BCE, in Indian Ayurvedic medicinal text. In a recent study from the urban component from the Chennai Urban Rural Epidemiological Study (CURES), it was found that 5 cups or more of total dairy foods including 2 cups of fermented dairy foods lowered blood pressure, body weight and body mass index (BMI), fasting blood glucose and importantly, increased improved the HDL (or good) cholesterol among Chennai adults. The health benefits of dairy consumption could be attributed to its low glycemic index (GI).
The views expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views of IDA. Any article or news item published in this journal may not be reproduced without prior permission.