Low fat cheese: two different products under one name

In a 12-week randomized trial of 139 Danish adults with at least two metabolic syndrome risk factors, who ate 2.8 oz (80 g) of cheese per 10 MJ of diet, regular-fat cheese left LDL cholesterol no different from reduced-fat cheese. The paper reports the gap as not significant and gives no size for it. That is the most direct test of switching, and it found no significant difference. The label itself covers two very different foods. US reduced-fat cheddar still has 20.4 g fat and 316 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g). To be called low fat in the US, a cheese needs 3 g of fat or less per serving and per 50 g, which this cheddar, at 4.3 g in a 21 g slice, does not reach. A soft spreadable low-fat white cheese in the UK table has 3.6 g fat and 99 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g), and much of that difference is water.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• US reduced-fat cheddar still has 20.4 g fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), with 316 calories, 27.4 g protein, 761 mg calcium and 628 mg sodium. — FNDDS food code 14104110, Cheese, Cheddar, reduced fat Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: 316 calories, fat 20.41 g, protein 27.35 g, calcium 761 mg, sodium 628 mg
• The UK table lists a soft spreadable low-fat white cheese at 99 calories, 3.6 g fat and 11.9 g protein per 3.5 oz (100 g), a very different product from hard reduced-fat cheese. — CoFID 2021 code 12-541, Cheese, spreadable, soft white, low fat Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: 99 calories, fat 3.6 g, saturated fat 2.40 g, protein 11.9 g, water 78.4 g

What a real portion looks like

• One 21 g slice of reduced-fat cheddar gives about 66 calories, 4.3 g fat, 160 mg calcium and 132 mg sodium. — FNDDS portions for Cheese, Cheddar, reduced fat Evidence E source
  1 slice 21 g: 66 calories, fat 4.3 g, calcium 160 mg, sodium 132 mg; 1 cup shredded 113 g: 357 calories

What your body absorbs

• Vitamin D added to low-fat cheese was absorbed as well as a supplement: a weekly 28,000 IU dose raised blood 25(OH)D by 69.4 nmol/L over 8 weeks versus 59.3 nmol/L from drops. — 80 adults randomized, low-fat cheese arm n = 10, 8 winter weeks (n = 80) Evidence B source
  25(OH)D rise: fortified low-fat cheese 69.4 ± 21.7, cheddar 65.3 ± 24.1, supplement with food 59.3 ± 23.3 nmol/L; not different from one another (P = 0.62)

What it does to your health

• In a 12-week randomized trial of 139 adults with metabolic syndrome risk factors who ate 2.8 oz (80 g) of cheese per 10 MJ, LDL cholesterol on regular-fat cheese was not significantly different from reduced-fat cheese. — 164 adults with at least 2 metabolic syndrome risk factors randomized, 139 completed, 12 weeks (n = 139) Evidence B source
  LDL cholesterol not significantly different between regular-fat and reduced-fat cheese; size of the difference not given in the abstract
• A low-fat hard cheese carrying 2 g of plant stanols a day cut LDL cholesterol by 10.3% in 5 weeks versus plain low-fat cheese in 67 mildly hypercholesterolemic adults. — 67 mildly hypercholesterolemic volunteers, 5 weeks (n = 67) Evidence B source
  LDL -14 mg/dL (95% CI -20 to -7; metric: -0.36 mmol/l, -0.53 to -0.18), -10.3%; total cholesterol -5.8%
• In 62 adults with prehypertension, 5 weeks of daily low-fat milk, low-fat cheese and low-fat yogurt did not lower blood pressure or lipids compared with non-dairy snacks. — 62 men and women, mean age 54.5, prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension, 5-week crossover (n = 62) Evidence B source
  SBP 126.3 vs 124.9 mmHg, DBP 76.5 vs 75.7 mmHg, not significant; lipids not different
• In 27,670 Swedish adults followed for 25 years, low-fat cheese showed no link with dementia, while 50 g a day or more of high-fat cheese was linked to 13% lower risk. — Malmo Diet and Cancer cohort, 27,670 adults, mean age 58.1, median follow-up 25 years (n = 27670) Evidence C source
  High-fat cheese >=50 g/d vs <15 g/d: HR 0.87 (95% CI 0.78-0.97); low-fat cheese: no association
• Observational data from 25,187 Swedish adults link each extra 20 g a day of low-fat cheese with a 2% lower risk of death over 23.5 years. — 25,187 adults, mean age 57.7, 23.5 years follow-up (n = 25187) Evidence C source
  Low-fat cheese HR 0.98 (95% CI 0.96-1.00) per 20 g/day; high-fat cheese HR 0.97 (0.96-0.99)

Safety, limits and interactions

• In 75 Finnish women at high risk of gestational diabetes, those whose low-fat cheese intake rose between pre-pregnancy and early pregnancy were less likely to develop it. — 75 women with prior gestational diabetes or BMI 30 or more, pre-pregnancy to early pregnancy (n = 75) Evidence C source
  Low-fat cheese intake increased more in women without GDM (P = 0.028); not seen for regular-fat cheese

What people believe that the data does not support

• In the US a cheese can be labeled low fat only if it has 3 g of fat or less per serving and per 50 g. — 21 CFR 101.62(b)(2)(i)(B), foods with a reference amount of 30 g or less Evidence E source
  Threshold 3 g fat per reference amount and per 50 g
• Europe refused the claim that low-fat dairy, including cheese, helps weight loss in an energy-restricted diet. — EU Register on nutrition and health claims, snapshot 2026-09-21 Evidence E source
  Claim non-authorized

Who this works differently for

• Among 966 Australians aged 70 to 90, eating low-fat cheese was associated with a 60% lower risk of depression over 3.3 years compared with eating none. — Sydney Memory and Ageing Study, 966 adults aged 70-90, mean follow-up 3.3 years (n = 966) Evidence C source
  Subdistribution HR 0.40 (95% CI 0.21-0.78) for low-fat cheese vs none; no link with dementia

The bottom line

Two other trials used cheese as a carrier. A low-fat hard cheese with added plant stanols lowered LDL cholesterol by 10.3 percent (14 mg/dL (95% CI 7 to 20; metric: 0.36 mmol/l, 0.18 to 0.53)) over 5 weeks in 67 adults with mildly high cholesterol, an effect of the stanols in a study sponsored by the maker. Low-fat cheese fortified with vitamin D raised blood 25(OH)D by 69.4 nmol/L over 8 winter weeks, no different from cheddar or a supplement, though the low-fat group had only 10 people. In 62 adults with prehypertension, 5 weeks of low-fat milk, cheese and yogurt together did not lower blood pressure against non-dairy snacks (systolic 126.3 against 124.9 mmHg). The cheese part cannot be separated out. The long Swedish cohorts are observational. Among 27,670 adults followed for 25 years, low-fat cheese showed no association with dementia, while 50 g a day or more of high-fat cheese went with a 13 percent lower risk (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.97). People eating low-fat cheese more often already had diabetes or heart disease, and that can distort such links. In 25,187 adults, low-fat cheese had an inverse association with death over 23.5 years (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.00), right at the edge of significance. Two findings concern specific groups, and both are associations. In 966 Australians aged 70 to 90, eating any low-fat cheese against none went with a lower risk of depression over 3.3 years (HR 0.40, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.78), from 120 cases in one cohort where average intake was only 13 g a day. In 75 Finnish women at high risk of gestational diabetes, low-fat cheese intake rose more between pre-pregnancy and early pregnancy in those who did not develop it. No size of risk was given. We have no card on which cheeses are safe to eat in pregnancy, so this finding is not advice to eat more of any cheese while pregnant. Europe refused a claim that low-fat dairy, cheese included, helps weight loss in an energy-restricted diet. That means the evidence was judged insufficient at the time, which is a different thing from proof of no effect. A 21 g slice of reduced-fat cheddar has about 66 calories, 4.3 g fat, 160 mg calcium and 132 mg sodium, worked out from the 100 g values. We have no card on allergy or medicines for low-fat cheese, so this page cannot say who should be careful with it.

Sources

1. lfch-daily-r6-01 · food composition dataset
   Cheese, Cheddar, reduced fat (FNDDS 14104110): Energy 316 kcal, Total lipid (fat) 20.41 g, Protein 27.35 g, Calcium 761 mg, Sodium 628 mg per 100 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 14104110, FDC 2705710 · checked 2026-09-29
2. lfch-daily-r6-02 · food composition dataset
   Cheese, spreadable, soft white, low fat (CoFID 12-541): Energy 99 kcal, Fat 3.6 g, Satd FA 2.40 g, Protein 11.9 g, Water 78.4 g per 100 g
   CoFID 2021, Public Health England, code 12-541 (OGL v3.0) · checked 2026-09-29
3. lfch-daily-r6-03 · food portion dataset
   Cheese, Cheddar, reduced fat: 1 slice = 21 g; 1 stick = 28 g; 1 cup, shredded = 113 g; Quantity not specified = 21 g
   USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 14104110, FDC 2705710 · checked 2026-09-29
4. lfch-daily-r6-05 · RCT
   In the vitamin D-treated groups, the mean increases in 25(OH)D over 8 wk were: 65.3 +/- 24.1 (DC), 69.4 +/- 21.7 (DLF), 59.3 +/- 23.3 (DS+), and 59.3 +/- 19.6 nmol/L (DS-); these changes differed from the placebo groups (P < 0.0001) but not from one another (P = 0.62).
   J Nutr, 2008 · checked 2026-09-29
5. lfch-daily-r6-04 · RCT
   Subjects in the REG and RED groups replaced part of their daily habitual diet with 80 g cheese/10 MJ, whereas subjects in the CHO group did the same with bread and jam corresponding to 90 g and 25 g/10 MJ, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 139 subjects completed the intervention. The primary outcome, LDL cholesterol, was not significantly different between the REG and RED diets or between the REG and CHO diets.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2016 · checked 2026-09-29
6. lfch-daily-r6-06 · RCT
   RESULTS: In the stanol ester group, as compared to the control group, both serum total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol decreased significantly, that is, by 5.8% (-0.32 mmol/l, 95% CI -0.50 to -0.15 mmol/l, P < 0.001) and 10.3% (-0.36 mmol/l, 95% CI -0.53 to -0.18 mmol/l, P < 0.001), respectively.
   Eur J Clin Nutr, 2006 · checked 2026-09-29
7. lfch-daily-r6-07 · RCT
   Dairy and nondairy treatments did not produce significantly different mean SBP or DBP in the resting postprandial state or from premeal to 3.5 hours postmeal (SBP, 126.3 mmHg versus 124.9 mmHg; DBP, 76.5 mmHg versus 75.7 mmHg), premeal (2.35 versus 2.20) or 2 hours postmeal (2.33 versus 2.30) RHI, and premeal (22.5 versus 23.8) or 2 hours postmeal (12.4 versus 13.2) augmentation index.
   Vasc Health Risk Manag, 2013 · checked 2026-09-29
8. lfch-daily-r6-08 · cohort
   Consumption of ≥50 g/d of high-fat cheese (>20% fat) was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause dementia (HR 0.87; 95% CI, 0.78-0.97) and VaD (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.52-0.96) compared with lower intake (<15 g/d). ... Consumption of low-fat cheese, low-fat cream, milk (high-fat and low-fat), fermented milk (high-fat and low-fat), and butter showed no association with all-cause dementia.
   Neurology, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
9. lfch-daily-r6-09 · cohort
   High-fat cheese (> 20% fat) intake was inversely associated with risk of all-cause mortality (HR for an increment of 20 g/day, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99, P < 0.001) and cardiovascular disease mortality (HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.93-0.99, P = 0.006). Low-fat cheese intake showed an inverse association with all-cause mortality (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-1.00, P = 0.047).
   Eur J Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
10. lfch-daily-r6-11 · secondary analysis
    The intake of low-fat cheese increased significantly in women who did not develop GDM compared to women who did after adjusting for potential confounders (P = 0.028). This association was not observed for regular-fat cheese.
    J Hum Nutr Diet, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
11. lfch-daily-r6-12 · regulation
    (B) The food has a reference amount customarily consumed of 30 g or less or 2 tablespoons or less and contains 3 g or less of fat per reference amount customarily consumed and per 50 g of food
    21 CFR 101.62, Nutrient content claims for fat, fatty acid, and cholesterol content of foods · checked 2026-09-29
12. lfch-daily-r6-13 · authority decision
    POL-HC-7009 Dairy (low fat dairy) *Dairy refers to cow’s milk, yogurt and cheese Dairy in an energy restricted diet helps weight loss. Consuming dairy foods, as part of your weight loss diet, will help weight loss. Consuming dairy foods, as part of your weight loss diet, will help weight maintenance. Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7009, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-29
13. lfch-daily-r6-10 · cohort
    Over a mean follow-up of 3.3 years, 120 incident cases of depression and 68 deaths occurred: higher yogurt intake and low-fat cheese consumption (versus non-consumption) were associated with lower risk of depression (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratios 0.41 [95% CI 0.19-0.88] and 0.40 [0.21-0.78], respectively).
    Nutrients, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29