Effect of cheese consumption on blood lipids

a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

de Goede, Janette
Geleijnse, Johanna M.
Ding, Eric L.
Soedamah-Muthu, Sabita S.

J. De Goede, J.M. Geleijnse, and S.S. Soedamah-Muthu are with the Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands. E.L. Ding is with the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, and the Department of Medicine, Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Correspondence: S.S. Soedamah-Muthu, Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, PO Box 8129, 6700 EV, Wageningen, the Netherlands. E-mail: [email protected]. Phone: +31-317-489639.

Nutrition Reviews 73(5):p 259-275, May 2015. | DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nuu060

Context:Cheese may affect lipids and lipoproteins differently than other high-fat dairy foods.

Objective:The present systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate randomized controlled trials that examined the effect of cheese consumption compared with another food product on blood lipids and lipoproteins.

Data Sources:A systematic literature search of the MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, CAB Abstracts, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and the clinicaltrials.gov website was performed.

Study Selection:A total of 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified that examined the effect of cheese consumption on blood lipids and lipoproteins in healthy adults.

Data Extraction: A meta-analysis of 5 RCTs that compared the effects of hard cheese and butter, both of which had a similar ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids (P/S ratio), was performed.

Data Synthesis:Compared with butter intake, cheese intake (weighted mean difference: 145.0 g/d) reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by 6.5% (−0.22 mmol/l; 95%CI: −0.29 to −0.14) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) by 3.9% (−0.05 mmol/l; 95%CI: −0.09 to −0.02) but had no effect on triglycerides. Compared with intake of tofu or fat-modified cheese, cheese intake increased total cholesterol or LDL-C, as was expected on the basis of the P/S ratio of the diets. There was insufficient data to compare intake of cheese with intake of other foods.

Conclusion:Despite the similar P/S ratios of hard cheese and butter, consumption of hard cheese lowers LDL-C and HDL-C when compared with consumption of butter. Whether these findings can be attributed to calcium, specific types of saturated fatty acids, or the food matrix of cheese warrants further research.