A pair of recent studies suggests that a common food could be used to put a dent in the ever-growing obesity epidemic in the U.S. According to a report from CBS News, researchers say that eating full-fat dairy foods instead of low-fat or skimmed products can help slash the risk of obesity and diabetes.

The first study, published in the journal Circulation, showed that people who ate full-fat dairy products enjoyed a 46 percent lower risk of diabetes over a 15-year timespan that people who preferred skim milk and low-fat cheeses and yogurts. The study, led by researchers at Tufts University analyzed blood test results that revealed biomarkers for full-fat dairy consumption.

The second study analyzed over 18,000 middle-aged women who participated in the Women’s Health Study. The women were of normal weight, and showed no evidence of heart disease, cancer or diabetes at the beginning of the study. Researchers showed that women who ate more high-fat dairy were eight percent less likely to become obese over time than those who opted for low-fat dairy products instead.

According to one of the study’s lead author Susanne Rautiainen, a research fellow from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, “We saw less weight gain for higher total dairy and high-fat dairy intake and also a lower risk of becoming overweight and obese in those who consumed more high-fat dairy.”

Of course, the studies don’t mean to suggest that you should start gorging on whole milk and cheese all day. The U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that people consume no more than 10 percent calories from saturated fat each day. Adding a cup of whole milk to a latte, for instance, is equivalent to 4.6 grams of saturated fats, nearly a quarter of the recommended daily total.

According to Dr. Daruish Mozaffarian, the Dean of Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, “I am conservative about setting national dietary guidelines. While evidence remains insufficient to definitively recommend only whole-fat dairy, it certainly is robust enough not to recommend only low-fat dairy.”

A news release describing the details of the study can be found here.