Mexican cheese: a dense cup of shredded blend and the Listeria question

Eaten in place of butter, hard cheese lowers LDL cholesterol. A meta-analysis of 5 randomized trials found that about 5.1 oz (145 g) of cheese a day cut LDL by 6.5% (8.5 mg/dL (95% CI 5.4 to 11; metric: 0.22 mmol/L, 0.14 to 0.29)) compared with butter, and HDL fell too, by 3.9%. A second pool of 7 trials put the drop at 0.19 mmol/L for about 4.8 oz (135 g) of cheese against about 1.8 oz (52 g) of butter, and rated every trial in it as having some risk of bias. Both tested hard and semi-hard cheeses against butter, so they tell you about a swap and nothing about adding cheese to a diet. The 145 g is the trial dose, not a serving to aim for. Shredded Mexican blend in the US survey database carries 362 calories, 17.0 g saturated fat, 665 mg calcium and 710 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g), one averaged profile across brands. A cup of it weighs 4 oz (113 g), about 409 calories and 802 mg sodium when recalculated from the 100 g values, and 5.1 oz (145 g) of the blend would carry about 1,030 mg sodium and 24.7 g saturated fat. The serious caution in this family belongs to the fresh cheeses such as queso fresco, and it is Listeria, for pregnant women, adults 65 or older and people with weakened immunity.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Shredded Mexican cheese blend in the US survey database carries 362 calories, 21.9 g protein, 29.3 g fat (17.0 g saturated), 665 mg calcium and 710 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g). — USDA FNDDS survey food 'Cheese, Mexican blend', food code 14120010 Evidence E source
  Per 100 g: 362 calories, protein 21.92 g, fat 29.34 g, saturated 17.041 g, calcium 665 mg, sodium 710 mg

What a real portion looks like

• A cup of shredded Mexican blend weighs 4 oz (113 g) in the US survey, about 409 calories, 19 g saturated fat and 802 mg sodium, while an unspecified serving is 21 g. — USDA FNDDS portion weights for 'Cheese, Mexican blend', food code 14120010 Evidence E source
  1 cup shredded 113 g (409 calories, saturated fat 19.3 g, sodium 802 mg, calcium 752 mg); quantity not specified 21 g (76 calories); recalculated from 100 g
• According to USDA survey data, a Mexican food eaten on a given day supplies 30% of an adult's energy and over a third of their saturated fat, calcium and sodium, partly because cheese is a common ingredient. — US adults 20 and older who ate a Mexican food on the intake day, WWEIA NHANES 2017 to March 2020 Evidence E source
  Mexican food: 30% of energy; more than one-third of protein, fiber, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, calcium, sodium

What your body absorbs

• In a stable isotope trial in 12 young women, about 38 to 42% of calcium from fresh cheese was absorbed, similar to mineral water. — 12 healthy women aged 20 to 29, Latin square crossover (n = 12) Evidence B source
  Fractional Ca absorption 37.7% (new fresh cheese) and 42.2% (traditional fresh cheese), not different; mineral water 37.0%

What cooking and storage change

• In a 6-week trial in 162 adults over 50 with overweight, 4.2 oz (120 g) of melted cheddar daily raised total cholesterol by 7.7 mg/dL (0.20 mmol/L) and triglycerides by 15 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) more than the same cheese unmelted. — 162 overweight adults aged 50 or older, 6 weeks, 120 g full-fat cheddar daily (n = 162) Evidence B source
  Melted vs unmelted: total cholesterol +7.7 mg/dL (0.20 mmol/L), triglycerides +15 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L); no difference in LDL, HDL, weight, glucose
• Pooling 173 studies, Listeria was found in 3.44% of raw milk samples against 0.60% of pasteurized milk, and in 4.60% of dairy products. — 173 prevalence studies of milk and dairy product supply chains worldwide (n = 173 studies) Evidence C source
  Raw milk 3.44% (95% CI 2.61-4.28) vs pasteurized 0.60% (0.00-2.06); dairy products 4.60%; North America 5.27%

What it does to your health

• A meta-analysis of 5 randomized trials found that hard cheese lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.5% compared with butter of similar fat profile in healthy adults. — healthy adults in 5 RCTs comparing hard cheese with butter (mean difference 145 g/day cheese) (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), -6.5%; HDL-C -1.9 mg/dL (-0.05 mmol/L) (-3.9%); triglycerides unchanged
• Pooling 7 randomized trials, about 4.8 oz (135 g) of cheese daily for at least 14 days lowered LDL cholesterol by 7.3 mg/dL (0.19 mmol/L) compared with about 1.8 oz (52 g) of butter. — adults in 7 RCTs with isoenergetic substitution of hard or semi-hard cheese for butter, at least 14 days (n = 7 RCTs) Evidence A source
  LDL-C WMD -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)

Safety, limits and interactions

• The FDA label for transdermal selegiline (EMSAM) at 9 mg/24 h or more lists aged cheeses among the tyramine foods to avoid. — Adults using EMSAM (selegiline transdermal system) at 9 mg/24 h or 12 mg/24 h (n = -) Evidence E source
  Avoid list in label Table 5, dairy class

What people believe that the data does not support

• Observational outbreak data from Canada and the US show 12 outbreaks from pasteurized dairy causing 17 deaths and 7 fetal losses, with Listeria behind 10 of them. — 32 laboratory-confirmed dairy outbreaks in Canada and the US, 2007 to 2020 (n = 32 outbreaks) Evidence C source
  Pasteurized: 174 cases, 134 hospitalizations, 17 deaths, 7 fetal losses; unpasteurized: 449 cases, 5 deaths
• According to the FDA, people vulnerable to listeriosis should avoid all queso fresco-type cheeses, whether made from pasteurized or raw milk. — US FDA consumer guidance on queso fresco, queso blanco and requeson Evidence E source
  Advice: avoid all queso fresco-type cheeses if vulnerable
• According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, claimed benefits of raw milk products are not shown in evidence-based studies, and pasteurized milk gives equivalent benefits without the infection risk. — AAP policy statement on pregnant women, infants and children Evidence E source
  Qualitative: no demonstrated benefit of raw over pasteurized dairy

Who this works differently for

• According to the FDA, pregnant women in the US have about 10 times the general risk of listeriosis, rising to about 24 times for Hispanic pregnant women, and adults 65 or older are also at higher risk. — US pregnant women, Hispanic pregnant women, adults 65 or older, people with weakened immunity Evidence E source
  Relative risk of listeriosis about 10x (pregnant) and about 24x (Hispanic pregnant) vs general population
• A case report describes neonatal listeriosis in the newborn of a Hispanic mother who often ate queso fresco, and notes many pregnant women do not know soft cheeses carry this risk. — one newborn and mother, case report (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Qualitative: neonatal listeriosis linked by history to frequent queso fresco intake
• An umbrella review of 9 systematic reviews found listeriosis in pregnancy struck mostly in the third trimester (66%) rather than the first (3%). — 9 systematic reviews, 330 studies, pregnancy up to 4 weeks postnatal (n = 9 reviews) Evidence C source
  Third trimester 66% vs first trimester 3% of infections

The bottom line

The FDA advises people vulnerable to listeriosis to avoid all queso fresco-type cheeses, including queso blanco and requesón, whether made from pasteurized or raw milk. The agency says pregnant women in the US have about 10 times the general risk of listeriosis, and about 24 times if they are Hispanic, figures its page gives without citing a study. By the same page, adults 65 or older and people with weakened immunity also face serious illness more often. An umbrella review found 66% of listeriosis infections in pregnancy fell in the third trimester against 3% in the first. Pasteurization lowers the odds without removing them. Across 173 studies, Listeria turned up in 3.44% of raw milk samples and 0.60% of pasteurized ones, a pool that did not count cheese separately. In Canada and the US from 2007 to 2020, 12 outbreaks traced to pasteurized dairy caused 174 confirmed cases, 17 deaths and 7 fetal losses, and Listeria was behind 10 of them. The American Academy of Pediatrics says the claimed benefits of raw milk products have not been shown in evidence-based studies and that pasteurized milk gives equivalent benefits without the infection risk. We hold no card on allergy or drug interactions for these cheeses, including aged ones such as queso añejo and cotija. That is a gap in our evidence, not a finding of no interaction: if you take a medicine that comes with a list of foods to avoid, ask your doctor or pharmacist about aged cheese. Melting may change what cheese does. In a 6-week trial in 162 adults over 50 with overweight, 4.2 oz (120 g) of melted cheddar a day raised total cholesterol by 7.7 mg/dL (0.20 mmol/L) and triglycerides by 15 mg/dL (0.17 mmol/L) more than the same cheese eaten unmelted. That was cheddar, and it applies to quesadillas and nachos only by analogy. In a stable isotope trial in 12 young women, 37.7% and 42.2% of the calcium in two European fresh cheeses was absorbed, with no significant difference between them. For US adults who ate a Mexican food on a given day, it supplied 30% of their energy and over a third of their saturated fat, calcium and sodium, and the USDA authors put this partly down to cheese being a common ingredient.

Sources

1. mxch-r4-01 · food composition dataset
   Cheese, Mexican blend, FNDDS code 14120010, fdc_id 2705741: Energy 362 KCAL, Protein 21.92 G, Total lipid (fat) 29.34 G, Fatty acids, total saturated 17.041 G, Calcium, Ca 665 MG, Sodium, Na 710 MG per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS survey foods release 2024-10-31 · checked 2026-10-02
2. mxch-r4-02 · food composition dataset
   Cheese, Mexican blend, fdc_id 2705741: 1 cup, shredded 113 g; Quantity not specified 21 g; 1 cup, melted 244 g
   USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS survey foods release 2024-10-31 · checked 2026-10-02
3. mxch-r4-14 · USDA dietary data brief
   On average, for adults who consume a Mexican food on the intake day, it contributes 30 percent of energy and more than one-third of protein, dietary fiber, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, calcium and sodium (Figure 7). These nutrient contributions can be partially explained by the fact that cheese is a common ingredient in Mexican food (4).
   USDA Food Surveys Research Group, Dietary Data Briefs, 2010 · checked 2026-10-02
4. mxch-r4-06 · RCT
   Mean fractional Ca absorption from the new fresh cheese was not significantly different from that from the traditional type (37.7 (SD 10.2)% v. 42.2 (SD 11.6)%).
   Br J Nutr, 1996 · checked 2026-10-02
5. mxch-r4-05 · RCT
   Melted cheese increased total cholesterol concentrations by 0.20 ± 0.15 mmol L-1 and triglyceride concentrations by 0.17 ± 0.08 mmol L-1 compared to unmelted cheese.
   Food Funct, 2024 · checked 2026-10-02
6. mxch-r4-07 · meta-analysis of prevalence data
   Subgroup analysis showed that L. monocytogenes prevalence in raw milk (3.44%, 95% CI: 2.61%-4.28%) was significantly higher than in pasteurized milk (0.60%, 95% CI: 0.00%-2.06%).
   Foodborne Pathog Dis, 2024 · checked 2026-10-02
7. mxch-r4-03 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   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) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) by 3.9% (-0.05 mmol/l; 95%CI: -0.09 to -0.02) but had no effect on triglycerides.
   Nutr Rev, 2015 · checked 2026-10-02
8. mxch-r4-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   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 (weighted mean difference [WMD]: -0.24 mmol/L; 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.34, -0.15; I2 = 59.8%, WMD: -0.19 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.27, -0.12; I2 = 42.8%, and WMD: -0.04 mmol/L; 95% CI: -0.08, -0.00; I2 = 58.6%, respectively) relative to ∼52 g/d butter.
   Adv Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-02
9. sf-tymaoi-13 · agency advice
   Aged cheeses
   EMSAM (selegiline transdermal system), FDA-approved label, sections 2.3 and 7.2 (Table 5) · checked 2026-10-08
10. mxch-r4-08 · systematic review of outbreaks
    Twelve outbreaks involving pasteurized products resulted in 174 confirmed cases of illness, 134 hospitalizations, 17 deaths, and seven fetal losses. Listeria accounted for 10 out of 12 outbreaks from pasteurized products from 2007 through 2020.
    Can J Public Health, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
11. mxch-r4-09 · agency guidance
    Queso fresco-type cheeses, like queso fresco, queso blanco, and requesón, made from either pasteurized or unpasteurized (raw) milk. ... Listeriosis outbreaks have been repeatedly linked to people eating queso fresco-type cheeses, therefore the FDA recommends that people vulnerable to listeriosis avoid eating all queso fresco-type cheeses.
    US FDA, Queso Fresco-type Cheeses Consumer Guidance, content current as of 2025-01-16 · checked 2026-10-02
12. mxch-r4-13 · practice guideline
    However, the benefits of these natural factors have not been clearly demonstrated in evidence-based studies and, therefore, do not outweigh the risks of raw milk consumption. Substantial data suggest that pasteurized milk confers equivalent health benefits compared with raw milk, without the additional risk of bacterial infections.
    Pediatrics, 2014 · checked 2026-10-02
13. mxch-r4-10 · agency guidance
    In the United States, the risk of pregnant women getting listeriosis is about 10 times greater than that of the general population. ... The risk of listeriosis increases to about 24 times more than that of the general population if the pregnant woman is Hispanic. ... Adults 65 years or older and people with weakened immune systems are also at higher risk for developing serious symptoms associated with listeriosis.
    US FDA, Queso Fresco-type Cheeses Consumer Guidance, content current as of 2025-01-16 · checked 2026-10-02
14. mxch-r4-11 · case report
    Here a case of neonatal listeriosis, in the newborn of a young Hispanic mother who frequently ate queso fresco (a fresh Mexican cheese), is presented. Pregnant women are commonly counselled to avoid unpasteurised dairy during the pregnancy, but many are unaware that soft cheeses, and other food products, may pose risks for perinatal infection.
    BMJ Case Rep, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
15. mxch-r4-12 · umbrella review
    Prevention in pregnant women was based on adherence to strict dietary recommendations, such as reheating leftovers until steamed and avoiding unpasteurised dairy products. Listeriosis infections were likely to occur in the third trimester (66%) rather than in the first trimester (3%) of pregnancy.
    BJOG, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02