Decrypting the messages in the matrix: The proceedings of a symposium on dairy food matrix science and public health opportunities

Although food matrix research is still in its infancy, there is an emerging understanding of the important role of the food matrix on human nutrition and physiology, as well as for public health. This understanding has largely been propelled forward by research involving different milk and dairy food matrices which has revealed that in addition to their distinct array of nutrients and bioactive compounds, milk and dairy foods also contain complex food matrix microstructures that act as nutrient and bioactive delivery systems that set them apart from the other food groups. Due to these distinct food matrix properties, milk and dairy foods may be uniquely positioned to help Americans meet many of their nutrition and health needs. The aim of this manuscript is to describe the activities and findings from a National Dairy Council-sponsored symposium focused on connecting the science on milk and dairy food matrices with opportunities for improving public health. This proceedings paper summarizes and communicates the symposium presentations and panel discussions, key insights, and next steps to help leverage the evidence on different dairy food matrices (e.g., milk, yogurt, cheese) to develop science-backed strategies to support public health and health equity.