Skim vs Whole Milk: Advantages & Disadvantages

Across social and mainstream media, you will see some saying whole milk is healthier and others saying skim milk is healthier.

The truth is that it isn’t so black-and-white, at least not as I see it.

So, my intention with this article is to simply & quickly breakdown the differences so that you know which is better to buy for you and your family.

Whole vs Skim Milk Nutrition

First things first, let’s look at what the actual nutrition differences are between the two.

Depicted below is a table of their nutrition info, per 1 cup of liquid. [Source: USDA FoodData Central]

Let’s break this down:

You’ll notice the only real difference is in the fat content.

As a result of the fat being removed from skim milk, the calorie content of skim milk is lower than whole milk.

It is for this reason that skim milk tastes thinner, while whole milk tastes thicker.

Apart from this, the protein, carbohydrate, and micronutrient content are practically the same.

What the research says:

Before interpreting this nutrition label, it’s worth considering what the available outcome data in humans has to say.

That is, when these products are given to humans, what happens?

The effect of overall dairy intake on health:

First and foremost, let’s look at dairy in general before pitting these two sub-categories of dairy against each other.

The largest review of dairy’s effect on health was published in the Journal of Food and Nutrition Research in 2016. [1]

The cliff-notes are that increased dairy intake:

• reduced risk of multiple forms of cancer

• reduced risk of type 2 diabetes

• reduced risk of fracture, osteopenia, and osteoporosis

• reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

This review included all dairy products such as high- and low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.

My point in mentioning this is that, unless you have a specific allergy, you seemingly can’t go wrong by including dairy in your diet; whether it’s whole or skim milk. In other words, neither are “bad” for you.

Skim vs whole milk on cardiovascular risk factors:

At a population level, those who consume skim milk or other low-fat milks tend to have lower rates of death due to cardiovascular disease compared to those who drink whole milk. [2,3]

However, in more controlled research where the increased calorie content of whole milk is taken into account, there doesn’t seem to be any differences in health outcomes between the two products.[4]

What kind of fat is in milk? Good or bad?

As we mentioned previously, the only real difference between whole milk and skim milk is that skim milk had the fat removed.

You’ve also probably heard that there exists “healthy” or “unhealthy” fat.

The primary fat found in milk is saturated fat, which is the sort of fat typically considered “unhealthy.”

The most common sources of saturated fat include animal meats, high-fat dairy, coconut oil, palm oil, etc.

Increases in calories due to saturated fat tend to increase LDL(c) and ApoB, both of which are significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease. [5,6]

Similarly, increases in calories from saturated fat increase liver and visceral fat accumulation more than any other nutrient. [7, 8, 9]

However, as long as less than 10% of your total calorie intake is from saturated fat, there’s unlikely to be major harm from it. [6]

Previously, I mentioned that when the increase in calories from whole milk is taken into account there is little difference in health outcomes from skim or whole milk. This is why, it seems.

So, which should you choose? Whole or skim milk?

It’s fair to say that the average American would be better off choosing skim milk over whole milk, given that the average American overeats calories and has elevated cardiovascular risk factors.

However, what’s best for you depends on the rest of your diet and your goals.

Say an individual eats little saturated fat in the rest of their diet, and they want to have a glass-worth of milk in the morning (in a cup, cereal, oatmeal, smoothie, etc.).

To make numbers easy, let’s assume this person is eating 2000 calories in their day.

A glass of whole milk will provide 72 calories from saturated fat, meaning 3.6% of their total caloric intake would come from saturated fat.

With less than 5% of their calories coming from saturated fat, there’s unlikely to be any real harm.

So, if the person enjoyed the taste of whole milk more, I don’t see any reason to discourage them from choosing whole milk.

Conversely, let’s imagine an individual seeking to lose weight.

In order to lose weight, you must eat less calories than your body burns each day.

Given that skim milk has the same protein content with almost half the calories, it makes the clear winner in this regard.

I could go on-and-on with different examples, but the point is this: skim milk is better in some circumstances, and whole milk is better in others.

To see one as better than the other is the wrong way to view it. To identify which one works better for your preferences and goals is the right way to view it.