Brussels, 14/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The milk sector is afraid that warnings from the European Commission, which advocate a diet as low as possible in saturated fatty acids, will discourage Europeans from consuming milk, cheese and other milk products. On 8 February, the European Dairy Association (EDA) organised a conference that brought together experts, representatives from the dairy sector and senior European officials to discuss the impact of saturated fats and dairy products on health. Professor Arne Astrup (University of Copenhagen) and Ian Givens (University of Reading) warned against the rejection of a single molecule, which leads to the demonisation of food that contains healthy nutrients, according to the most recent scientific research undertaken. Consequently, they recommend that the European Commission revise its objectives for reducing consumption of saturated fatty acids in the daily food intake. In her speech, Stephanie Bodenbach, DG Sanco, pointed out that the Commission's position was based on EFSA's 2010 recommendations on dietary references, which advocated a diet that was as low in saturated fatty acids as possible. The debate demonstrated the difficulty of translating the complexity of cumulative scientific proofs into clear messages put forward by decision-makers. The EDA considers that these messages should not be oversimplified when attempting to translate them into health policies. (IL/transl.fl)