Study associates saturated milk fats with IBD.

Bloomberg News (6/14, Ostrow) reports that in mice, "diets high in saturated milk fats, found in processed foods and sweets, may increase the risk of developing immune disorders like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in those who are genetically predisposed," according to a study published online June 13 in the journal Nature. "About 60 percent of mice fed a diet high in saturated milk fats developed ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune inflammatory bowel disease, within six months, compared with about 25 to 30 percent of the animals who ate a low-fat diet or one high in polyunsaturated fats such as safflower oil," the study found. What's more, "the severity and extent of the colitis was much greater in the mice fed milk fats than those fed low-fat diets," researchers reported.

        "The University of Chicago researchers said their findings help explain why once rare immune-system-related disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease have become more common in the United States and other Westernized nations in the last half-century," HealthDay (6/14, Preidt) reports. Investigators "said their study may shed some light on why many people who are genetically prone to the condition still don't develop it and how certain environmental factors can cause inflammation in those at risk. Scientists note, however, that research with animals often fails to provide similar results in humans."