Research
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.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
A randomised controlled trial (RCT) by Feeney et al.(39) demonstrated the protective effect of a fermented dairy food matrix such as cheese on blood lipid concentrations. Their results show that cheese has a significant lowering effect on TC and LDL-C when compared with a deconstructed matrix of butter, protein, and calcium.
Why this rating
Based on cited RCTs and meta-analyses comparing cheese vs. butter, though the paper itself is a review.
Source
The effects of saturated fat intake from dairy on CVD markers: the role of food matrices
Simone Dunne et al. · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2024
DOI 10.1017/s0029665124000132
narrative_reviewCited 7×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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