Is cheese bad for cholesterol?

It depends on what the cheese replaces. Against butter carrying the same fat, cheese comes out ahead. A 2023 meta-analysis of 7 randomized trials found about 4.8 oz (135 g) of cheese a day, for at least 14 days, left LDL cholesterol 7.3 mg/dL (0.19 mmol/L) lower (95% CI 0.12 to 0.27) than about 1.8 oz (52 g) of butter. Against diets built on unsaturated fat or carbohydrate the picture flips. In a crossover trial of 92 adults with abdominal obesity, LDL after a cheese-rich diet was 2.6% to 12.3% higher than after those diets.

Established. Cheese leaves LDL cholesterol lower than butter with a similar balance of dairy fat. Two meta-analyses of randomized trials agree on this. The 2015 review of 5 trials in healthy adults eating about 5.1 oz (145 g) of hard cheese a day found LDL 6.5% lower than with butter, 8.5 mg/dL (95% CI 5.4 to 11; metric: 0.22 mmol/L, 0.14 to 0.29).

Unsettled. Better than butter is a different claim from good for cholesterol. We found no randomized trial or review that compares eating cheese with eating no cheese while the rest of the fat in the diet stays the same. The trials answer two narrower questions: cheese against butter, and cheese against diets rich in unsaturated fat.

What the trials found

Cheese against butter

The 2023 review pooled 7 randomized trials, 6 of them crossover designs lasting 14 to 42 days, each with between 14 and 49 people. Alongside the LDL drop, total cholesterol was 9.3 mg/dL (0.24 mmol/L) lower and HDL cholesterol 1.5 mg/dL (0.04 mmol/L) lower than with butter. The reviewers judged every trial to have some concerns about bias. We read this review in full. The 2015 review found the same direction, with HDL 3.9% lower and no change in triglycerides.

Cheese against other foods

The 2015 review also found that, compared with tofu or fat-modified cheese, ordinary cheese raised total or LDL cholesterol, as the balance of fats in those diets predicted. Those comparisons were few and were not pooled into a number. The crossover trial in 92 adults fills part of that gap. Each person ate five diets of 4 weeks, matched for energy. Saturated fat was 12.4% to 12.6% of energy on both the cheese and the butter diet. LDL after the cheese diet was 3.3% lower than after butter and higher than after the carbohydrate, MUFA and PUFA diets, and every one of those differences was statistically significant.

Full fat against reduced fat

A 12-week randomized trial enrolled 164 adults with at least two metabolic syndrome risk factors. About 2.8 oz (80 g) of regular-fat cheese per 10 MJ of food did not change LDL cholesterol differently from reduced-fat cheese or from an equal amount of energy as bread and jam. Of the 164, 139 finished. The comparison was with carbohydrate. Unsaturated fat was not tested, and 12 weeks is the longest trial here.

The form of the cheese

In a 6-week randomized trial of 162 overweight adults aged 50 or over, 120 g a day of full-fat cheddar eaten melted 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. LDL and HDL did not differ between the two forms. This is one trial and the first to test melting.

A pooled analysis of two 6-week randomized trials in 197 middle-aged adults compared 4.2 oz (120 g) of cheese a day with the same ingredients eaten separately, which the researchers call deconstructed cheese, at about 40 g of fat a day. Whole cheese lowered total and LDL cholesterol against the deconstructed version. The paper reports the effect as clearer in women, but the difference between sexes did not reach significance, and the abstract gives no size for any of it.

Heart disease in long-term studies

Observational data from 15 prospective studies link high cheese intake, compared with low, to 10% lower risk of cardiovascular disease (relative risk 0.90, 95% CI 0.82 to 0.99). The same studies link it to 14% lower risk of coronary heart disease (0.86, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.96), with the lowest risk near 40 g a day. This is an association. People who eat more cheese differ in other ways, and the review reports relative risks only, so we cannot say how many fewer heart events per 1,000 people that would mean. It does not measure cholesterol at all.

For the rest of what cheese offers, see the cheese page. For fat in the diet as a whole, see our dietary fat and cholesterol review, and for the fresh kind, cottage cheese and cholesterol.

Who should be careful

Not for everyone. People whose LDL cholesterol is already high. In the 92-person crossover trial, the extra LDL rise from butter over cheese appeared only in people who started with high LDL, so the type of fat mattered most for them. The abstract gives no number for that subgroup.

For anyone trying to lower LDL, the same trial is the relevant one: cheese left LDL 12.3% higher than a diet rich in polyunsaturated fat. Cheese is a source of saturated fat, and WHO strongly recommends that adults and children keep saturated fat to 10% of total energy, replacing it with polyunsaturated fat, plant monounsaturated fat or fiber-rich carbohydrate. The trials above fed 4.2 oz (120 g) to 5.1 oz (145 g) of cheese a day, and whether an amount like that fits inside the WHO limit depends on the rest of the diet.

What expert bodies say

WHO, in its 2023 guideline, reports high certainty evidence from randomized and strictly controlled feeding trials that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat or carbohydrate lowers LDL cholesterol in adults. That is the mechanism behind the cheese trials: cheese beats butter and loses to unsaturated fats. The guideline does not address cheese by name.

In Europe, all twelve health claims submitted for cheese were turned down and none was authorized. We did not find a statement from the American Heart Association or NICE about cheese in particular.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A randomized trial that adds cheese to a diet, or removes it, while keeping the other fats the same. That is the trial that would answer the question as people ask it. We found none, finished or registered.
• Trials longer than 12 weeks. Every trial cited here with a stated length gave each diet for 12 weeks or less.
• Trials designed around people who already have high LDL, since the one subgroup result suggests the type of fat matters most for them.
• A second trial of melted against unmelted cheese, to show whether that one result holds.

Sources

1. ev-chchol-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, Cochrane RoB 2.0 · n = 7 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.
   
   Who: Adults in 7 fasting randomized controlled trials of isoenergetic cheese versus butter, 14 to 42 days
   Effect: LDL WMD -7.3 mg/dL (95% CI -10 to -4.6; metric: -0.19 mmol/L, -0.27 to -0.12), I2 = 42.8%; TC -0.24 mmol/L; HDL -1.5 mg/dL (-0.04 mmol/L); all RCTs some concerns for bias
   Certainty: Comparison only with butter, not with no cheese. 6 of 7 RCTs are crossover, 14-42 days, small (14-49 people). Full text read (PMC10721513).
   Adv Nutr, 2023 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
2. ev-chchol-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 5 RCTs
   Compared with intake of tofu or fat-modified cheese, cheese intake increased total cholesterol or LDL-C, as was expected on the basis of the P/S ratio of the diets.
   
   Who: Healthy adults in 12 randomized controlled trials; 5 pooled for hard cheese versus butter
   Effect: LDL -8.5 mg/dL (-0.22 mmol/L) (-6.5%; 95% CI -0.29 to -0.14); HDL -1.9 mg/dL (-0.05 mmol/L) (-3.9%); no effect on triglycerides; cheese 145 g/d
   Certainty: Main answer to H1: 'better than butter' does not equal 'lowers cholesterol'. Against tofu and cheese with modified fat, cheese raised TC/LDL; there are few of these comparisons, not pooled quantitatively.
   Nutr Rev, 2015 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
3. ev-chchol-03 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · multicenter crossover randomized controlled trial · n = 92
   LDL-cholesterol concentrations after the cheese diet were lower than after the butter diet (-3.3%, P < 0.05) but were higher than after the carbohydrate (+2.6%), MUFA (+5.3%), and PUFA (+12.3%) diets (P < 0.05 for all).
   
   Who: 92 men and women with abdominal obesity and relatively low HDL-cholesterol; 5 isoenergetic diets of 4 weeks each
   Effect: LDL cheese vs butter -3.3%; cheese vs carbohydrate +2.6%, vs MUFA +5.3%, vs PUFA +12.3% (P < 0.05 for all)
   Certainty: Key to axis 6: cheese as a source of saturated fat still raises LDL relative to unsaturated fats. Saturated fat 12.4-12.6% of energy in both diets.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
4. ev-chchol-04 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · multicenter crossover randomized controlled trial, subgroup by baseline LDL · n = 92
   The LDL-cholesterol response to treatment was significantly modified by baseline values (P-interaction = 0.02), with the increase in LDL cholesterol being significantly greater with butter than with cheese only among individuals with high baseline LDL-cholesterol concentrations.
   
   Who: 92 men and women with abdominal obesity and relatively low HDL-cholesterol
   Effect: P-interaction = 0.02 for baseline LDL; butter > cheese LDL increase only among those with high baseline LDL
   Certainty: Subgroup; for people with high LDL the fat composition matters more. The subgroup numbers are not in the abstract.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-chchol-05 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · 12-week parallel randomized controlled trial · n = 164
   A high daily intake of regular-fat cheese for 12 wk did not alter LDL cholesterol or MetS risk factors differently than an equal intake of reduced-fat cheese or an isocaloric amount of carbohydrate-rich foods.
   
   Who: 164 subjects with 2 or more metabolic syndrome risk factors; 139 completed; 80 g cheese/10 MJ
   Effect: LDL not significantly different REG vs RED and REG vs CHO; HDL +2.3 mg/dL (0.06 mmol/L) vs CHO (P = 0.07)
   Certainty: Only 12 weeks, comparison with carbohydrates (bread and jam), not with unsaturated fats.
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2016 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-chchol-06 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · 6-week parallel randomized controlled trial · n = 162
   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.
   
   Who: 162 overweight adults aged 50 years or over; 120 g full-fat cheddar daily, about 40 g dairy fat
   Effect: TC +0.20 ± 0.15 mmol/L, TG +0.17 ± 7.1 mg/dL (0.08 mmol/L) melted vs unmelted; no difference in LDL, HDL or VLDL
   Certainty: A single RCT; LDL did not differ between forms. The first check of melted cheese.
   Food Funct, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-chchol-07 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · secondary pooled analysis of two parallel randomized controlled trials · n = 197
   In the group as a whole, cheese was found to lower total and LDL cholesterol, compared to deconstructed cheese.
   
   Who: 197 middle-aged adults (41.6% male); 120 g cheese (n 104) or deconstructed cheese (n 93), about 40 g fat per day
   Effect: cheese lowered TC and LDL vs deconstructed cheese; no sex x treatment interaction; within women cheese lowered and deconstructed cheese raised TC and LDL
   Certainty: Secondary analysis; the abstract gives no difference numbers. The sex difference is within sex, the interaction is not significant.
   Atherosclerosis, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-chchol-08 · Observational data · meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies · n = 15 studies
   The summary RR for high vs. low cheese consumption was 0.90 (95 % CI 0.82-0.99) for total CVD (7 studies, 8076 events), 0.86 (95 % CI 0.77-0.96) for CHD (8 studies, 7631 events), and 0.90 (95 % CI 0.84-0.97) for stroke (7 studies, 10,449 events), respectively.
   
   Who: 15 prospective cohort studies, most excluding prevalent CVD and lasting over 10 years
   Effect: RR total CVD 0.90 (95% CI 0.82-0.99), CHD 0.86 (0.77-0.96), stroke 0.90 (0.84-0.97); nonlinear, largest reduction at about 40 g/d
   Certainty: Association, not causality; not about cholesterol directly but about clinical events. Residual confounding (cheese eaters differ in lifestyle).
   Eur J Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-chchol-09 · Position of an expert body · WHO guideline · n = -
   WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).
   
   Who: Adults and children, WHO guideline 2023
   Effect: saturated fat to 10% of energy (strong recommendation); below 10% (conditional)
   Certainty: Not about cheese separately; cheese is one of the main sources of saturated fat, so a daily large portion (120-145 g in the RCTs) fits within the limit only given the rest of the diet.
   WHO, 2023, Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
10. ev-chchol-10 · Position of an expert body · WHO guideline evidence summary · n = -
    As assessed in RCTs and strictly controlled feeding trials, replacing SFA with polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and carbohydrates all resulted in reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in adults (high certainty evidence).
    
    Who: Adults in RCTs and strictly controlled feeding trials reviewed for the WHO guideline
    Effect: LDL reduction with replacement of SFA, high certainty; cumulative, observed down to SFA 2% of energy
    Certainty: Explains why cheese loses to unsaturated fats in 28251937. Not about cheese.
    WHO, 2023, Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
11. che-dr-08 · Position of an expert body · EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6306, snapshot of 2026-09-21 · n = —
    POL-HC-6306 Dairy products (milk and cheese) Dairy foods (milk and cheese) promote dental health in children. -/- Non-authorised
    
    Who: —
    Effect: status Non-authorized; across the register, 12 entries mention cheese and 0 are authorized
    Certainty: a register entry records a verdict on a dossier, not an experiment, and the snapshot carries neither the reasons nor any conditions of use. It does not say cheese harms teeth, only that nobody proved the opposite to the regulator's standard
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6306, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-09-22 · we read the row