Muenster cheese: what cheddar trials say about a cheese nobody tested

No study we found looked at Muenster itself, so this page borrows from trials of hard and semi-hard cheese, mostly cheddar. Their clearest result comes from a 2023 meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials. About 4.8 oz (135 g) of hard or semi-hard cheese a day for at least 14 days lowered LDL cholesterol by 7.3 mg/dL (95% CI -10 to -4.6; metric: 0.19 mmol/L, -0.27 to -0.12) compared with about 1.8 oz (52 g) of butter, with some risk of bias in every trial. That is a comparison with butter. It does not show cheese lowering cholesterol against a low-fat diet. Melting matters for a sandwich cheese. In a 6-week trial in 162 overweight Irish adults aged 50 and over, 120 g a day of melted cheddar 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, with no difference in LDL. By USDA figures, regular Muenster carries 717 mg calcium and 19.1 g saturated fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), and one slice weighs 21 g.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

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

How much is actually in it

• USDA lists regular Muenster at 717 mg calcium and 19.1 g saturated fat per 3.5 oz (100 g). The low-fat version has 529 mg calcium and 10.95 g saturated fat. — USDA SR Legacy, Cheese, muenster (FDC 171245) and Cheese, muenster, low fat Evidence E source
  Calcium 717 vs 529 mg/100 g; saturated fat 19.113 vs 10.95 g/100 g; vitamin B12 1.47 ug/100 g (regular)

What a real portion looks like

• In the US survey database one slice of Muenster weighs 21 g, a cracker-size slice 9 g and a cup of shredded cheese 113 g. — US survey food Cheese, Muenster, FNDDS code 14107200 Evidence E source
  1 slice 21 g; 1 cracker-size slice 9 g; 1 cubic inch 18 g; 1 cup shredded 113 g; 1 cup diced 132 g

What your body absorbs

• In a small crossover RCT, 240 g/day of high-calcium cheddar for 2 weeks gave lower LDL cholesterol than reduced-calcium cheese, without raising fecal fat. — 7 healthy men, BMI 18-25, three 2-week diet periods with 240 g/day cheese (n = 7) Evidence B source
  Fasting LDL-C lower after high-calcium cheese vs other arms (P = 0.002); fecal fat not different (P = 0.066)
• About 30% of the calcium in dairy foods such as cheese is absorbed, according to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. — General population Evidence E source
  Calcium absorption from dairy about 30%

What cooking and storage change

• In a 6-week RCT in 162 overweight adults aged 50 and over, 120 g/day of melted cheese 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. — Overweight adults aged 50 years or older, Ireland; 120 g/d full-fat cheddar for 6 weeks (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 or glucose
• Under the US standard of identity, Muenster cheese must be made from pasteurized dairy ingredients, with at least 50% milkfat in solids and no more than 46% moisture. — Cheese sold as Muenster or munster in the US Evidence E source
  —

What it does to your health

• A 2023 meta-analysis of 7 RCTs found that about 4.8 oz (135 g) of hard or semi-hard cheese a day 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 randomized trials, hard or semi-hard cheese vs butter, at least 14 days (n = 7 RCTs) Evidence A source
  Total cholesterol -9.3 mg/dL (95% CI -13 to -5.8; metric: -0.24 mmol/L, -0.34 to -0.15); LDL-C -7.3 mg/dL (95% CI -10 to -4.6; metric: -0.19 mmol/L, -0.27 to -0.12); HDL-C -1.5 mg/dL (-0.04 mmol/L)

Safety, limits and interactions

• In 11 older adults, adding 170 g/day of cheese to an 8-day high-sodium diet preserved small-vessel function that the same sodium without dairy impaired. — Adults without salt-sensitive blood pressure, mean age 64, four 8-day controlled diets (n = 11) Evidence B source
  Microvascular ACh logEC50: low sodium -4.82, high sodium -3.21 (impaired, P = 0.03), high sodium + cheese -4.46 (not impaired)
• Across 100 surveys, about 2.4% of soft cheese samples worldwide carried Listeria monocytogenes, a risk mainly for pregnancy, older age and weak immunity. — Retail and production samples of deli meat, soft cheese and packaged salad; studies with at least 100 samples (n = 100 studies) Evidence C source
  Prevalence in soft cheese 2.4% (95% CI 1.6 to 3.6%); high heterogeneity

What people believe that the data does not support

• In a meta-analysis of 5 RCTs, eating hard cheese instead of butter with a similar fat profile lowered LDL cholesterol by 6.5% and HDL by 3.9%. — Healthy adults in 5 randomized trials comparing hard cheese with butter (about 145 g/d 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 (95% CI -3.5 to -0.77; metric: -0.05 mmol/L, -0.09 to -0.02); triglycerides unchanged

Who this works differently for

• In pooled data from two 6-week RCTs in 197 middle-aged adults, 120 g/day of cheese lowered total and LDL cholesterol compared with the same fat as butter. Men and women responded differently within their own groups, with no formal sex by treatment interaction. — Middle-aged adults, 41.6% male, 120 g cheese vs deconstructed cheese (butter, caseinate, calcium) for 6 weeks (n = 197) Evidence B source
  Cheese lowered total and LDL cholesterol vs deconstructed cheese; within women deconstructed cheese raised them; no formal sex x treatment interaction

The bottom line

An older meta-analysis of 5 trials in healthy adults points the same way. About 5.1 oz (145 g) of hard cheese a day in place of butter with a similar fat profile lowered LDL by 6.5% and HDL by 3.9%, with no change in triglycerides. The belief that cheese acts on cholesterol just like butter does not survive these trials, though they were short and none used Muenster. The doses were large, too: 135 g is more than six 21 g slices a day. Pooled data from two 6-week trials in 197 middle-aged adults found 4.2 oz (120 g) of cheese a day lowered total and LDL cholesterol compared with the same ingredients given as butter, caseinate and calcium. Men and women responded differently within their own groups, but a formal test found no sex by treatment interaction. In a crossover trial in only 7 healthy men eating 8.5 oz (240 g) of cheese a day, a high-calcium cheddar gave lower fasting LDL than reduced-calcium cheese over 2 weeks (P = 0.002). Against regular Muenster's 717 mg calcium and 19.1 g saturated fat per 3.5 oz (100 g), the low-fat version has 529 mg calcium and 10.95 g saturated fat. Both are single legacy values without sample spread. About 30% of the calcium in dairy foods is absorbed, by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, a figure for dairy in general. In 11 adults averaging 64 years, adding 6 oz (170 g) of cheese a day to an 8-day high-sodium diet preserved small-vessel function that the same sodium without dairy impaired. People with salt-sensitive blood pressure were excluded, and the result does not show that salty cheese is harmless. Who should take care. Under the US standard of identity, Muenster must be made from pasteurized dairy ingredients. French Munster AOP can be made from raw milk and is a different cheese. Across 100 surveys, about 2.4% of soft cheese samples worldwide carried Listeria monocytogenes (95% CI 1.6 to 3.6%). That figure covers soft cheese as a category with high heterogeneity, so it tells you little about any one cheese. If you are pregnant or immune-compromised, checking the label for pasteurized milk is the simple step.

Sources

1. mnst-daily-r3-10 · dataset
   Cheese, muenster, fdc_id 171245: Calcium 717 MG per 100 g; Fatty acids, total saturated 19.113 G per 100 g; Vitamin B-12 1.47 UG per 100 g. Cheese, muenster, low fat: Calcium 529 MG; Fatty acids, total saturated 10.95 G per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
2. mnst-daily-r3-11 · dataset
   Cheese, Muenster, WWEIA category Cheese, FNDDS code 14107200, fdc_id 2705726: 1 cracker-size slice 9 g; 1 slice 21 g; 1 cup, shredded 113 g; 1 cup, diced 132 g; 1 cubic inch 18 g; Quantity not specified 21 g
   USDA FoodData Central, FNDDS survey foods, release 2024-10-31 · checked 2026-09-29
3. mnst-daily-r3-04 · crossover RCT
   Fasting LDL-c was significantly lower following the HCC diet vs. the other arms (P = 0.002). ... Varying the calcium content within a cheese matrix significantly affected fasting LDL-c values.
   Eur J Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
4. mnst-daily-r3-09 · agency fact sheet
   The absorption of calcium from dairy products and fortified foods is about 30% [1].
   NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Calcium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · checked 2026-09-29
5. mnst-daily-r3-03 · 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. No significant differences were observed between the cheese forms for change in HDL, LDL or VLDL cholesterol.
   Food Funct, 2024 · checked 2026-09-29
6. mnst-daily-r3-08 · US federal standard of identity
   The minimum milkfat content is 50 percent by weight of the solids and the maximum moisture content is 46 percent by weight, as determined by the methods described in § 133.5. ... The dairy ingredients used are pasteurized.
   21 CFR 133.160, Muenster and munster cheese · checked 2026-09-29
7. mnst-daily-r3-02 · 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 2026-09-29
8. mnst-daily-r3-06 · crossover RCT
   Compared with LNa, microvascular responsiveness to ACh was attenuated during HNa (LNa: -4.82 ± 0.20 versus HNa: -3.21 ± 0.55 M logEC50; P = 0.03) but not LNaC (-5.44 ± 0.20 M logEC50) or HNaC (-4.46 ± 0.50 M logEC50).
   J Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-29
9. mnst-daily-r3-07 · meta-analysis of prevalence studies
   We included in the review 100 studies with a sample size restriction of ≥100, and we estimated L. monocytogenes prevalence in deli meat at 2.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3 to 3.6%), in soft cheese at 2.4% (95% CI, 1.6 to 3.6%), and in packaged salad at 2.0% (95% CI, 1.2 to 3.1%).
   J Food Prot, 2019 · checked 2026-09-29
10. mnst-daily-r3-01 · 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 2026-09-29
11. mnst-daily-r3-05 · pooled RCT analysis
    In the group as a whole, cheese was found to lower total and LDL cholesterol, compared to deconstructed cheese. No sex × treatment interactions were observed although, within-sex analysis found men and women to respond differently.
    Atherosclerosis, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29