The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the claim that yogurt may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, reversing its previous denial of a request from Danone North America, the largest U.S. yogurt manufacturer.
In 2019, Danone had petitioned for a qualified health claim linking regular yogurt consumption to a lower diabetes risk, but the FDA initially concluded there was limited supporting evidence.
On March 1, 2024, the FDA greenlighted the following claims:
- “Eating yogurt regularly, at least 2 cups (3 servings) per week, may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. FDA has concluded that there is limited information supporting this claim.”
- “Eating yogurt regularly, at least 2 cups (3 servings) per week, may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes according to limited scientific evidence.”
The approved claim applies to yogurt as a food, regardless of its sugar or fat content.
Conflicting Evidence in Support of Health Claim
The FDA reported that while some evidence supported by Danone North America, which makes Activia, Silk, and Dannon, backed the claim that eating yogurt reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes, not all the evidence was convincing.
Several intervention studies failed to compare yogurt to a non-yogurt control, instead comparing conventional yogurts to modified versions, making it difficult to isolate yogurt’s effect.
Nearly half of the 46 observational studies submitted were also problematic. Eighteen lacked scientific conclusions, eight excluded participants with type 2 diabetes, four didn’t adjust for confounding factors like exercise, and five studied other foods like sugary beverages.
However, the FDA noted enough credible evidence existed to support the claim. One study found individuals who ate yogurt were 40 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, while another showed a 32 percent lower risk for yogurt consumers versus non-consumers.
After continued review, the FDA reversed its initial denial, stating in a March 1 press release that “there is some credible evidence supporting a relationship between yogurt intake and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, but this evidence is limited.”
Type 2 Diabetes Increasingly Affecting Younger Americans
Approximately 38 million Americans—or about 10 percent of the adult population in the country—have diabetes, with around 95 percent of cases being Type 2 diabetes, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While Type 2 diabetes typically develops in adults, the disease is increasingly affecting younger individuals, including teens and children.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body’s cells become resistant to insulin. The pancreas, which produces insulin, works overtime to compensate, but eventually, it cannot keep up, leading to a rise in blood sugar levels. This elevated blood sugar state is known as prediabetes and often precedes the development of Type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar can damage various organs and lead to serious health complications, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney damage.