SERUM HDL CHOLESTEROL WAS POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH CHEESE INTAKE IN THE OSLO HEALTH STUDY

ABSTRACT

We have examined the association between cheese intake and serum lipids in the cross-sectional Oslo Health Study (18,770 subjects), using ANOVA and linear regression. In both sexes and in most of four age groups, i.e., young (30 years), middle-aged (40 and 45 years), seniors (59–60) and old (75–76 years), cheese intake was negatively associated with triacylglycerol (TAG) and positively with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (P < 0.05 for trend). In the whole material, HDL was 1.38 (1.36–1.40), 1.44 (1.42–1.45), 1.50 (1.49–1.51) and 1.57 (1.56–1.58) mmol/L in cheese intake groups 1–4, respectively (i.e., intake 0.5, 2.0, 5.0 or 10.5 times per week). Corresponding values for TAG were: 1.79 (1.73–1.86), 1.67 (1.63–1.71), 1.57 (1.54–1.61) and 1.48 (1.46–1.50) mmol/L. Also in multiple linear regression analysis with several confounding variables the serum HDL versus cheese intake association still prevailed (P = 0.001), but the cheese versus TAG association was not significant in the multivariate model.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The finding that cheese intake is positively and independently associated with serum high-density lipoprotein in men and women across a wide age range, and negatively with serum triacylglycerol, raises the question of whether our dietary guidelines might have focused too much on negative effects of saturated fat whereby possible positive effects of cheese may have been overlooked. The results invite new experimental studies on the more comprehensive effects of cheese, butter and milk on blood lipids, apolipoproteins and coagulation factors.