Whole Milk
A Washington Post report explores a possible misconception about the health benefits of milk. Reuters

Whole milk has been getting a bad rap all these years, according to a new report from the Washington Post. For decades U.S. Dietary Guidelines have steered Americans to drink low-fat or fat-free milk, but recent studies suggest some positive, disease-preventing health benefits associated with whole milk. While there may be a shift in perception about whole milk, that will not be reflected in the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines coming out later this year.

The report cites studies funded by the federal government and academia that analyzed health records of thousands of patients over a decade. Individuals who drank whole milk -- chock-full of the fat we've been told to avoid -- had lower incidence of heart disease, the Washington Post reported. "What we have learned over the last decade is that certain foods that are high in fat seem to be beneficial," lead author Marcia Otto, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas, said.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommendations led to a dramatic decrease in whole milk sales. While whole milk used to be king of dairy, with 36.188 million pounds of it sold in 1975, that dropped to 13.984 million in 2014. The decrease in whole milk sales has led to the rise of 1 percent and skim milk, from a combined 5 million pounds in 1975 to over 13 million pounds in 2014. The current milk king, 2 percent, sold 17.977 million pounds in 2014.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, and many experts cite saturated fats as a major culprit. The new info on whole milk adds complexity to the debate over consuming less saturated fat.

While the new info won't be on the forthcoming U.S. Dietary Guidelines menu, neither will the issue of food sustainability, as the food industry has lobbied hard for their own interests, according to a Fortune report. The 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines are revised every five years.