Résumé
The present chapter aims to give an overview of the worldwide dairy products and of their nutritional quality. The importance of their food structure on digestion is examined, before reporting their health properties, as indicated by meta-analyses of epidemiological studies. Dairy products, mainly originating from bovine milk, are a good source of high-quality proteins, specific lipids (polar, short chain, conjugated), micronutrients (calcium, iodine, phosphorus, vitamins B2 and B12, etc.), and eventually of probiotics and their deriving metabolites. The dairy product structure affects the protein and lipid digestion fate, with potential metabolic consequences. Dairy products appear to have health effects either beneficial (obesity, type II diabetes, hip fracture) or neutral (cardiovascular diseases), but may be at risk for prostate cancer for high consumers. Overall, dairy products are an important food group, supplying essential nutrients and eventually probiotics, with potential beneficial health effects as long as consumed at the recommended levels (2–3 portions/day).