A 2021 meta-analysis in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition pulled together the results of several studies looking at the difference between whole milk and low-fat milk on mortality risk. Drinking whole milk can increase your risk of death by 15%, and it’s also linked with a higher risk of dying of cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, consuming more dairy overall can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.
Drinking low-fat milk can lower your risk of early death by 22% compared to drinking whole milk, according to a 2021 study in Clinical Nutrition. This study, based on research involving almost 30,000 people, found that low-fat milk can reduce your risk of heart-related death by 33%. People who drank whole milk had a 27% lower risk of death.
Interestingly, some studies have found that drinking milk has little effect on your risk of early death, regardless of the milk’s fat content. A 2016 meta-analysis in BMC Public Health combined the results of 21 studies and determined that milk doesn’t increase or reduce your risk of death from any cause.