Mixed

Consuming saturated fat from dairy foods (specifically cheese) results in lower total and LDL cholesterol compared to consuming an equivalent amount of saturated fat from butter, due to the protective 'dairy food matrix' (including milk fat globule membrane and protein structure).

If you eat dairy, choose cheese over butter. While both contain saturated fat, the physical structure of cheese (the 'matrix') appears to raise cholesterol less than butter does. Current guidelines focusing only on limiting total saturated fat may inadvertently exclude beneficial foods like cheese.