Historically, skimmed milk was used for fattening pigs, and was recommended as "not only the

very best supplement for growing pigs, but is of almost equal value for fattening purposes" as it
"furnishes a complete protein" and makes the feed "more palatable."
[2]

Sometimes only half the cream is removed; this is called semi-skimmed milk.
Skimmed milk contains less fat than whole milk, and as such many
[who?]
nutritionists and doctors
recommend it for people who are trying to lose weight or maintain a healthyweight
[citation needed]
. On
the other hand, some consider skimmed milk to actually be less healthy than whole milk, citing
the observation that low fat foods generally do not lower calorie consumption and that when it
comes to weight loss, restricting calories has a poor track record. It is thought that the reduction
in calories keeps the body further from satiety, causing it to ultimately seek out the same amount
of calories that would have otherwise been consumed, and in some cases possibly more or from
sources less beneficial.
[3][4]
The extent to which animal fat contributes to weight gain is also
brought into question,
[5][6]
along with claims that skimmed milk is more beneficial to heart health
since non-skimmed milk has a higher low-density lipoprotein content. Milkfat, however, contains
large, non-dense (Pattern A) LDL particles, which studies have shown to carry far less risk of
coronary heart disease than small, dense (Pattern B) LDL particles.
[7]
Skimmed milk also
contains almost no Vitamin A.
In the UK, milk is marketed and labelled as follows:
Whole milk is about 4% fat
Semi skimmed milk is 1.7% fat
Skimmed milk is between 0.1-0.3% fat
In the USA, milk is marketed primarily by fat content and available in these varieties:
Whole Milk is 3.25% fat
2% Reduced-Fat Milk
1% Lowfat Milk (also called Light Milk)
0% Fat-Free Milk (also called Skim Milk or Nonfat Milk)