Get ready for another skirmish in the milk wars. Whenever there's anything positive to report about the health effects of milk, it seems some group always tries to shoot down the results. Often that's more because of an ideological gripe about whether people should drink milk from cows—or any other animal—in the first place.

The latest study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine looks at data from an ongoing study of more than 40,000 male doctors, pharmacists and other health professionals that's being lead by doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. The conclusion: regularly consuming low-fat dairy products—such as skim milk or low-fat yogurt—slightly decreases a man's risk of developing type II diabetes. The effect was modest but held true whether or not study participants were physically active, overweight or had a family history of diabetes.

Previous studies have shown that low-fat dairy products, as part of a diet that's rich in fruits and vegetables, also helps to reduce high blood pressure.