A new study shows that natural trans fats in dairy foods like milk, cheese, yoghurt, and butter do not seem to hurt heart health. In the past, experts warned people to avoid trans fats. These fats, often found in fried foods and snack foods, are known to increase the risk of heart disease. But the trans fats made by animals and found in dairy foods may not have the same effect as those made by food factories.

Researchers from Europe, Canada, and the United States looked at 22 studies with thousands of people. The most important thing they wanted to learn was if natural dairy trans fats were linked to heart disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes. They found that these natural fats in dairy did not increase the risk of these health problems.

The researchers say that natural trans fats in dairy are different from industrial trans fats found in processed foods. People still need a balanced diet, but normal dairy foods do not seem to have the same harmful effect as foods with added industrial trans fats.