It seems the wonders of dairy will never cease. The latest research discoveries about dairy components indicate that dairy holds amazing potential for its numerous health benefits — from preventing or treating disease, to combating sleep disorders and stress to actually saving lives in the emergency room.

There is big news about whey and its impact in weight management and hypertension. Yet it is difficult for consumers to wrap their minds around the concept of whey; most know the term only in conjunction with a spider and a nursery rhyme.

One of the challenges the dairy industry is tackling is how to get the whey word out, through efforts by the National Dairy Council, the U.S. Dairy Export Council and DMI. The industry is lucky to have these research forces, and efforts will be much more effective when companies can dedicate resources to work in conjunction and disseminate the whey word.

Also newsworthy is that dairy products are healthy as a “whole food.” One of the health trends is that consumers are seeking foods that are inherently healthy as a complete package, so this also holds promise as music to the consumer’s ear.

The bottom line of research’s impact is how that message will translate for consumers. It’s a fortunate dilemma — the plethora of health benefits forces us to choose which research discovery to publicize, and how. Meanwhile, dairy’s potential continues to awe and amaze.