Dairy Products and Metabolic Effects (Norwegian Part)

Inclusion Criteria: Apparently healthy men and women aged 30-65 years with: * BMI \< 35 kg/m2. * Having signed a written informed consent * Limited habitual intake of dairy products according to dietary questionnaire. * Traits of the metabolic syndrome - two or more of the following criteria fulfilled: * Fasting plasma glucose ≥ 6.1 mmol/l * Serum triglycerides ≥ 1.7 mmol/l * Serum HDL cholesterol \< 1.0 mmol/l (40 mg/dl) (men) and \< 1.3 mmol/l (50 mg/dl) (women) * Blood pressure ≥130/ 85 mmHg * Waist circumference \>94cm (men) and \>88cm (women). Exclusion Criteria: Patients with any of the following conditions will not be included in the trial: * Known Type 1 diabetes, or treated type 2 diabetes. * With HbA1c ≥ 7,5% at the first blood sample. * Pregnant or lactating women. * Known abnormal thyroid hormone levels, or high thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level. * Having received an investigational drug in the last 30 days before date of randomisation. * Unable or unwilling to comply with the protocol. * Likely to withdraw from the study before its completion. Concomitant medications: * With a lipid lowering drug (fibrate, statin) within the last 6 weeks before randomisation. * Treated with antidiabetic drugs. * Treated with Cyclosporin A. * Change within the last 6 weeks before randomisation and during the study in the medications that could interfere with the lipid profile (i.e., anti- hypertensive drugs, oral corticosteroids, thyroid hormones, retinoids, thiazidic derivative, hormone replacement therapy). * Treated with oral anticoagulants. * Treated with protease inhibitors (indinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir) * Treated against obesity: medical treatment within the last 6 weeks (orlistat, sibutramine) and/or surgery (gastroplasty, bypass). Associated diseases or conditions: * Diabetic ketoacidosis, diabetic pre-coma. * Current chronic pancreatitis, or identified risk or known history of acute pancreatitis. * Hepatic insufficiency, acute alcohol intoxication, alcoholism. * Known cholelithiasis without cholecystectomy. * AST and/or ALT \> 2 times the upper normal limit (UNL). * Renal failure or renal dysfunction defined by serum creatinine levels \> 135 µmol/L in males and \> 110 µmol/L in females. * Recent myocardial infarction (within 3 months prior to randomisation), * Known gastric or peptic ulcer or intestinal disease within the previous 3 months of randomisation capable of modifying the intestinal absorption of the drugs. * Any other severe pathology such as cancer, mental illness, etc, which in the opinion of the investigator might pose a risk to the patient or confound the results of the study. * Blood pressure \>160/100 mmHg. * Body weight changes exceeding ± 5% of total body weight during the last three months before admission. Drugs affecting lipid and glucose metabolism, weight reducing drugs, antihypertensives and other drugs with known metabolic effects.