The Whole-Food Effect: A Unique Dairy Matrix Milk or Supplements – Which is Better?

Milk and dairy products provide numerous health benefits that go beyond their basic nutritional content. The structure and composition of milk and dairy products, along with how their components interact, influence how nutrients are digested and absorbed.

Nutritionists used to focus on individual nutrients, but now we understand that food is more than just a collection of its parts. The health benefits of a food can't be determined by its nutrient content alone – there's a 'whole food effect' that plays a role in your body. The way the physical structure, nutrients, and bioactives in food interact is crucial. It affects how easily your body can access and absorb the energy and nutrients in the food. This interaction can influence how full you feel after eating [1], how the food is digested, and the speed at which energy and nutrients are released [2].

The 'whole food effect' makes milk and dairy products nutritiously unique. Each nutrient in milk has a specific role in keeping your body healthy. Milk and dairy products help meet your needs for essential nutrients like protein, calcium, and vitamins [3]. There are very few, if any, other foods that naturally offer this unique combination of nutrients [4], thanks to the dairy matrix.

The 'whole food effect' is one reason why getting your nutrients from whole foods usually leads to better results than taking supplements [5]. When you eat whole foods, you get a variety of macro and micronutrients, including vitamins and minerals, that help your body absorb and digest the natural goodness from the food. One of the benefits of the dairy matrix is that it enhances the bioavailability of nutrients [5], making it easier for your body to absorb the natural goodness of milk.

Not only does milk not contain substances that can reduce bioavailability, such as phytates and oxalates [6], but the bioavailability of calcium in cows' milk has been clinically proven to be better at preventing the loss of bone mineral density compared to nondairy equivalents [7]. This shows that milk is more effective than just its individual nutrients.