The surprising health benefits of ice cream

Dr Ezekiel Emanuel is the author of a new book which covers six rules for no-nonsense living. One of them is eating dairy products in moderation, because ice cream has been shown to decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes 

Dairy ice cream is more nutritious than many of us realise and can be enjoyed in moderation. Picture: iStock

Soft creamy ice cream, nestled in a thin, crispy cone, topped with a chocolate flake. It’s a 99 — what many consider the nation’s favourite summer treat.

By the beach, strolling along a boardwalk, sitting in the car in a fuel station car park, we eat 99s everywhere. Many of us regard them as a delicious but guilty pleasure.

In his latest book, Eat Your Ice Cream — Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life, oncologist Dr Ezekiel Emanuel tells us to enjoy our ice cream as it has more benefits than people realise.

Surprising health benefits

He laughs as he talks about a Harvard study with surprising results that are well known in nutritional science circles but not widely publicised. “It blows everyone’s mind when they hear about it,” he says.

The Harvard research, conducted more than 20 years ago by Mark A Pereira, an epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, revealed that dairy products helped prevent overweight people from developing insulin resistance syndrome, a precursor to diabetes.

Among the data was the bombshell that “the number one dairy product that decreased the risk of type 2 diabetes going in the wrong direction was ice cream”.

The reasons for this “are unclear”, but breaking it down, he explains that dairy “is actually way better for you than many people give it credit”.

While there are some downsides to dairy, he explains that the fat globule membranes in dairy are highly nutritious. Also, he says, there is no health difference between low-fat dairy products and high-fat dairy products. “Go for the high fat, man,” he says. “Full-fat ice cream is good.”

But don’t overdo it, he advises. “Ice cream still has plenty of calories and sugar — but make that premium scoop of ice cream a guilt-free treat occasionally.”

Emanuel, who lives in Washington DC, is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and was a key health policy adviser during the Obama administration.

 Dr Ezekiel Emanuel: The number one dairy product that decreased the risk of type 2 diabetes going in the wrong direction was ice cream

We’re speaking over Zoom, and Emanuel, who bears a striking resemblance to actor Stanley Tucci, is full of bonhomie. This is a man who practises what he preaches; he oozes healthy vigour and energy.

I ask him what his favourite flavour of ice cream is, and he tells me about an ice cream shop close to his home that makes a chocolate and hazelnut ice cream he loves. “You get the good chocolate and the nuts, both healthy options, and then of course the ice cream itself.”

Dairy and ice cream aside, Emanuel recommends reducing ultra-processed foods, reducing fizzy drinks, and increasing your intake of fermented foods such as yoghurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut, which he says are good for gut bacteria.

High on his list of healthy foods is fibre. “Fibre is the new protein. In the US, 93% of people don’t get enough fibre every day. So eat some berries or some other fruit for breakfast, have a salad at dinner, and you’ve got nearly all the fibre you need today.”

Having the occasional treat is a main theme in Emanuel’s book, and advice he abides by in real life. “I happen to like meat, but I describe myself as 80% vegetarian. I’m a vegetarian at home, unless we entertain, but once every few weeks, when I’m travelling away from home, I’ll have a burger and fries. Is that on the wellness menu? Absolutely not. But once every three or four weeks ain’t gonna kill me.”

Wellness is an ongoing process with deviations along the way, he says. “You’re going to have moments where you have to celebrate something, and that’s OK.

His book is divided into six ‘rules’, which include eating ice cream, and takes a no-nonsense approach to living a healthy life. “Don’t over-complicate things,” he says.

His core advice is to make any changes slowly. “Don’t try to change everything at once; you’ll fail at that.”

Regular exercise

When it comes to exercise advice, Emanuel says: “You just need to do some regular exercise, something you enjoy that can become part of your routine.”

Emanuel starts each day with a yoga session. His day is built around it. “I don’t exercise any willpower. I look forward to it. It’s enjoyable,” he says.

For wellness and longevity, exercise doesn’t need to become your life, just a small part of it.

He refers to a Taiwanese study that followed 400,000 people between 1996 and 2008. It found that exercising for just 15 minutes a day was linked to an extra three years of life. “And each additional 15 minutes of daily exercise added almost another one additional year.”

Mentally challenging activities

“To stave off dementia”, he recommends that we don’t retire. While recognising that "people can't work forever", he says: “When you do retire, make sure you continue to do things that are mentally challenging and socially engaging.”

Social connection

Loneliness can have a biological impact on the body, he says. “When you interact with a person, your oxytocin goes up, dopamine goes up, and your hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, which manages your body’s reaction to stress, kicks in. All of those things are important.”

Without social connections, other biological phenomena can happen.

He refers to UK Biobank research, which revealed that inflammation genes are activated by loneliness.

Loneliness is a growing problem, he laments. “And we’re going in the wrong direction. More meals are eaten alone. If you ask people how many close friends they have, almost 20% now in the US have zero or just one close friend.”

He says we can try to counteract loneliness by having simple conversations with people. “If you’re on the train or you’re flying, and someone’s sitting next to you, start talking to them — ask them a simple question. It’s not that complicated.”

Avoid common health villains

The Chicago native also talks about minimising self-destructive risks, where he says to avoid the common villains of cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, but also to get all necessary vaccines, take the cancer screenings offered to you, and maybe “re-think any plans you have to climb Mount Everest”.

“There’s a lot to be said for being prudent and reasonable.”

Get a good night’s sleep

Sleep is known to be fundamental to our health, so what are his tips for a good night’s sleep? “Get the room ready; turn off the lights; make sure it’s dark; don’t work on your phone; don’t have caffeine eight hours before you go to bed; don’t have alcohol eight hours before you go to bed. Yes, it will make you sleepy, but it also disrupts your rhythm and wakes you up for the night.”

He points to a Beth Israel study that followed 172,000 adults over four years. Those who experienced the five traits of bad sleep — short sleep time, trouble falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, waking in the night, and taking medications to fall asleep — were twice as likely to experience obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, and 1.5 times more likely to get cancer.

Emanuel’s book doesn’t rely on fads, viral trends, or hacks. It’s all about simple, evidence-backed advice. That, and his encouragement to live life and enjoy the occasional treat.

Eat Your Ice Cream by  Dr Ezekiel Emanuel.