Cheese ball: a party spread measured by the tablespoon

According to a meta-analysis of 7 trials, adults eating about 4.8 oz (135 g) of hard cheese a day for at least 14 days had LDL cholesterol 7.3 mg/dL (0.19 mmol/L) lower (95% CI 0.12 to 0.27) than when the same fat came from butter. That result compares cheese with butter. It says nothing about adding cheese to a diet, and no trial tested cream cheese, the base of most cheese balls. A tablespoon of cheese ball, 15 g, gives about 66 calories, 5.8 g fat of which 2.2 g saturated, 83 mg sodium and 59 mg calcium. That is a US recipe-based estimate. Home versions vary in how much cream cheese, cheddar and nut coating go in, and the survey sets an unspecified portion at 30 g, twice the tablespoon.

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• A tablespoon (15 g) of cheese ball gives about 66 calories, 5.8 g fat of which 2.2 g saturated, 83 mg sodium and 59 mg calcium. — US dietary survey food code for a cheese ball Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: energy 441 calories, protein 17.9 g, fat 38.9 g, saturated fat 14.6 g, sodium 554 mg, calcium 391 mg; standard portions 15 g (1 tbsp), 17 g (1 cubic inch), 30 g unspecified

What your body absorbs

• In 18 young men, the same dairy fat raised blood triglycerides 21 mg/dL (0.24 mmol/L) more as a casein gel than as cheddar cheese over 8 hours. — 25 normal-weight men aged 18-40 enrolled, 18 completed (n = 18) Evidence B source
  Postprandial triglycerides +0.24 ± 6.2 mg/dL (0.07 mmol/L) after casein gel versus cheese (P ≤ 0.05); apoB-48 unaffected
• In 24 young adults, cheddar providing 20 g protein released amino acids more slowly than milk, peaking around 120 minutes. — 24 men and women, about 27 years, BMI about 23 (n = 24) Evidence B source
  Slower, more sustained branched-chain amino acid appearance, peak about 120 min; lower insulin response than milk

What it does to your health

• According to a meta-analysis of 7 trials, eating about 4.8 oz (135 g) of hard cheese a day for at least 14 days lowered LDL cholesterol by 7.3 mg/dL (0.19 mmol/L) compared with the same fat from butter. — 7 randomized trials in adults (n = 7 RCTs) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -7.3 mg/dL (95% CI -10 to -4.6; metric: -0.19 mmol/L, -0.27 to -0.12); total cholesterol -9.3 mg/dL (-0.24 mmol/L); HDL-C -1.5 mg/dL (-0.04 mmol/L), relative to about 52 g/d butter
• Against butter with a similar fat profile, hard cheese lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.5% in a meta-analysis of 5 trials. — 5 RCTs in healthy adults comparing hard cheese with butter (n = 5 RCTs) Evidence A source
  LDL-C -8.5 mg/dL (95% CI -11 to -5.4; metric: -0.22 mmol/l, -0.29 to -0.14); HDL-C -3.9%; no effect on triglycerides
• Observational data link higher total dairy intake, including whole-fat dairy, with 16% lower odds of abdominal obesity. — 18 observational studies, 195,852 adults (n = 195852) Evidence C source
  OR 0.84 (95% CI 0.76-0.93) highest versus lowest total dairy; cheese not significant on its own in the abstract

Safety, limits and interactions

• Listeria was found in about 1.2% of fresh mozzarella samples, a risk that matters for pregnant women, older adults and the immunocompromised. — 16 studies of mozzarella at end of manufacture (n = 16 studies) Evidence C source
  Pooled prevalence 1.2% (95% CI 0.0-4.2), concentrations below quantification limit
• A man with swallowing problems after stroke died when a whole ball of bocconcini cheese blocked his airway. — one 63-year-old man with dysphagia and dementia after stroke (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Fatal airway obstruction; authors propose food pieces no larger than 1 cm2 for such patients

What is still unknown

• Of 12 cheese trials, only 5 could be pooled, and there were too few data to compare cheese with foods other than butter, tofu or modified cheese. — 12 RCTs of cheese and blood lipids (n = 12 RCTs) Evidence A source
  Insufficient data for other comparisons

The bottom line

In 18 young men, the same dairy fat raised blood triglycerides 21 mg/dL (0.24 mmol/L) more over 8 hours when eaten as a casein gel than as cheddar. In 24 young adults, cheddar supplying 20 g protein released amino acids more slowly than milk, peaking around 120 minutes. Both studies tested single meals of cheddar. Observational data link higher total dairy intake with 16% lower odds of abdominal obesity across 18 studies of 195,852 adults (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.93). Most of those studies were cross-sectional, and cheese on its own was not significant in the abstract. A cheese ball is made of cheese, so it carries milk, and versions rolled in nuts add a nut allergen that a guest may not expect. The other cautions we have come from relatives of the cheese ball. Listeria turned up in about 1.2% of fresh mozzarella samples at the end of manufacture (95% CI 0.0 to 4.2), across 16 studies with high heterogeneity. That is mozzarella, and we have no data on cream cheese or on the risk in pregnancy. A 63-year-old man with swallowing problems after a stroke died when a whole bocconcini cheese ball blocked his airway. The authors of that single case proposed food pieces no larger than 1 cm2 for people with such swallowing problems. Of 12 trials on cheese and blood lipids, one review could pool only 5. It found too few data to compare cheese with any food other than butter, tofu or modified cheese.

Sources

1. chbl-r3-01 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Cheese ball (FNDDS 14610520, FDC 2705781): 1 tablespoon 15 g; 1 cubic inch 17 g; Quantity not specified 30 g; Energy 441 KCAL per 100 g (66.2 KCAL per tbsp); Protein 17.89 G; Total lipid (fat) 38.88 G (5.8 G); Fatty acids, total saturated 14.55 G (2.2 G); Sodium, Na 554 MG (83.1 MG); Calcium, Ca 391 MG (58.6 MG)
   USDA FNDDS, code 14610520 Cheese ball, FDC 2705781 · checked 2026-10-01
2. chbl-r3-02 · randomized controlled trial
   Postprandial triglycerides (TGs) (primary outcome) increased by (mean ± SEM) 0.24 ± 0.07 and 0.19 ± 0.07 mmol/L after MCI Gel compared with Cheese and Hom. Cheese, respectively (both P ≤ 0.05).
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2021 · checked 2026-10-01
3. chbl-r3-03 · randomized controlled trial
   We found that cheese ingestion had a slower yet more sustained branched-chain amino acid circulation appearance over the postprandial period peaking at ~120 min.
   Nutrients, 2021 · checked 2026-10-01
4. chbl-r3-04 · systematic review and meta-analysis
   Pooled analyses of 7 RCTs showed a reduction in fasting total cholesterol, LDL-C and HDL-C concentrations after ≥14 d mean daily intake of 135 g cheese
   Adv Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-01
5. chbl-r3-05 · systematic review and meta-analysis
   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)
   Nutr Rev, 2015 · checked 2026-10-01
6. chbl-r3-06 · systematic review and meta-analysis
   Combining 19 effect sizes from 18 observational investigations with 195 852 participants revealed that the highest (vs lowest) amount of total dairy consumption was significantly related to a 16% reduced odds of abdominal obesity in adults (odds ratio [OR] = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.76-0.93).
   Nutr Rev, 2026 · checked 2026-10-01
7. chbl-r3-07 · systematic review and meta-analysis
   In total, 16 studies were analyzed using random-effects meta-analysis, and the pooled prevalence of L. monocytogenes in mozzarella was estimated at 1.2% (95% CI: 0.0-4.2) although a high heterogeneity among studies was observed (I2 = 78%).
   J Dairy Sci, 2025 · checked 2026-10-01
8. chbl-r3-08 · case report
   Autopsy showed an intact large cheese ball (bocconcini) occluding the airway.
   Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 1998 · checked 2026-10-01
9. chbl-r3-09 · systematic review and meta-analysis
   There was insufficient data to compare intake of cheese with intake of other foods.
   Nutr Rev, 2015 · checked 2026-10-01