A study published in Nutritional Epidemiology indicated that dairy foods, fruits, and vegetables tend to be anti-inflammatory. These foods are abundant in the Healthy U.S., Mediterranean, and the Vegetarian Style eating pattern, all of which can be adapted based on cultural and personal preferences.

A systematic review in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, evaluated 27 randomized controlled trials and found that dairy foods (i.e., milk, cheese, and yogurt) and dairy proteins (i.e., casein, whey) have neutral to beneficial effects on inflammation.
The key findings of this systematic review are as below:
•    10 out of 19 studies that evaluated dairy products, reported no effect on inflammation while 8 reported a reduction in at least one biomarker of inflammation.
•    All of the 8 studies that investigated dairy protein intake on inflammation, reported no effect of the intervention, meaning no impact from dairy proteins on inflammation biomarkers.
This is the third systematic review published in the past three years, indicating that dairy foods have a neutral to the beneficial effect on inflammation. Here’s what the other two found:
•    A systematic review of over 50 clinical trials published in 2017 showed that dairy foods were associated with anti-inflammatory activity in subjects with metabolic disorders such as heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Further, both low- and full-fat dairy products, as well as fermented dairy foods, displayed anti-inflammatory activity.
•    Another systematic review published in 2019 reported that dairy consumption was not linked to inflammation in healthy subjects or those with metabolic abnormalities. All in all, the majority of the studies documented a significant anti-inflammatory effect in subjects.
How to manage inflammation
There are simple ways to combat chronic inflammation. Lifestyle choices like stress management, not smoking, getting a good night’s sleep, regular exercise, and eating well can help.
Dairy’s beneficial effects on inflammation
A part of the “eating well” lifestyle choices are Dairy foods that have a beneficial effect on managing inflammation. As mentioned above, dairy foods, especially fermented dairy, seem to provide an anti-inflammatory effect. Of great importance is the management of chronic inflammation to reduce chronic disease risk.
Reference: