Is Greek yogurt good for cholesterol?

Nobody has tested it directly, and the nearest evidence points two ways. A 2021 meta-analysis of 39 randomized trials in 2,237 people found that probiotic fermented milk products lowered LDL cholesterol by 7.34 mg/dL (95% CI 4.65 to 10.04). Those products carried special probiotic strains. Ordinary yogurt with the usual starter cultures, which is what plain Greek yogurt is, lowered total cholesterol in only 2 of 7 trials. We found no randomized trial and no review of Greek yogurt itself and blood lipids.

Unsettled. The strong numbers belong to probiotic products, and the weak ones belong to ordinary yogurt. A 2025 review of 68 studies in healthy adults found the effect of conventional fermented dairy on blood lipids inconsistent, and rated the evidence neither convincing nor sufficient under European Food Safety Authority criteria. Greek yogurt sits on the ordinary side of that line.

What the trials found

Probiotic yogurt and fermented milk

In the 2021 meta-analysis, total cholesterol fell by 8.30 mg/dL (95% CI 5.18 to 11.42) and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides did not change. The drop in total and LDL cholesterol was larger in men, and triglycerides fell more in trials lasting 8 weeks or more. Those subgroup sizes are in the full text and not in the abstract we read. A 2020 meta-analysis of 7 trials in 274 people with mild to moderate high cholesterol found probiotic yogurt lowered LDL by 10.61 mg/dL (95% CI 4.69 to 16.53) and total cholesterol by 8.73 mg/dL, with no change in HDL or triglycerides. The trials were small, and Greek yogurt was not studied on its own.

Ordinary yogurt

A systematic review of 7 randomized trials in 278 adults tested yogurt made with the standard cultures Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. Total cholesterol fell in 2 of the 7 trials and did not change in the rest. Most trials had a high or unclear risk of bias, and the review did not pool them. This is the closest evidence to plain Greek yogurt that exists.

Full fat against low fat

A 4-week randomized crossover trial in 30 healthy adults gave the same saturated fat two ways. With low-fat yogurt plus butter, apolipoprotein B rose by 10.06 (95% CI 4.64 to 15.47). With full-fat yogurt it changed by minus 4.27 (95% CI minus 11.78 to 3.23). The difference between the two was significant. The comparison was with butter, and that is a different question from eating yogurt or not. In a 3-week controlled-feeding crossover trial of 13 adults with prediabetes, three daily servings of full-fat yogurt gave 10% lower fasting triglycerides than non-fat yogurt. The authors call that analysis exploratory.

Skyr, the nearest thing to Greek yogurt

Skyr is strained like Greek yogurt. In a 6-week randomized crossover trial of 30 adults with overweight or obesity, three daily servings of low-fat milk, Skyr and full-fat cheddar did not change metabolic outcomes against a low-dairy diet. Triglycerides were higher on the dairy diet in men. Skyr was one part of a mix, so the trial cannot say what Skyr alone did.

Population studies

A 2024 scoping review for the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations found dairy was not linked to higher cardiovascular risk. It reported an inverse association with total and LDL cholesterol, especially for yogurt and cheese. That is observational evidence. People who eat more yogurt may differ in other ways, so it cannot show that yogurt lowered anything.

For the rest of what Greek yogurt offers, see the Greek yogurt page.

Who should be careful

Two things matter more for cholesterol than the yogurt label: the fat in the milk and the sugar added after.

Not for everyone. Whole milk Greek yogurt carries saturated fat. In USDA data, plain whole milk Greek yogurt has 2.39 g of saturated fat and 17 mg of cholesterol per 3.5 oz (100 g), about 4.1 g and 28.9 mg in a 170 g container. Nonfat Greek yogurt has 0.11 g and 5 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g). The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 say saturated fat should in general stay at or below 10% of daily calories, and whole milk yogurt counts toward that.

Flavored yogurt is a different product. A survey of 921 UK yogurts in 2016 found that natural and Greek yogurts had far less sugar than every other category, a median of 5.0 g per 3.5 oz (100 g), most of it lactose from the milk. Even among low-fat yogurts, 55% had 10 to 20 g of sugar per 3.5 oz (100 g). A flavored Greek yogurt is not the plain product in that survey, and the label is the place to check.

What expert bodies say

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030 say that when people eat dairy, they should include full-fat dairy with no added sugars. That changes the previous edition, which favored low-fat dairy. The same guidelines keep saturated fat at or below 10% of daily calories. We found no guideline that addresses Greek yogurt and cholesterol directly.

How we searched

What would change this answer

• A randomized trial of plain Greek yogurt eaten daily for at least 8 weeks, with fasting LDL measured, against a realistic swap such as milk or a non-dairy snack. We found none.
• A trial comparing whole milk and nonfat Greek yogurt on LDL and apolipoprotein B, since the small trials above hint that full-fat yogurt may not behave like its saturated fat suggests.
• Cohort data that report Greek or strained yogurt separately from yogurt in general.

Sources

1. ev-gych-01 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 39 RCTs, 2237 participants
   Statistically significant reductions in blood low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (WMD: -7.34 mg/dL, 95% CI: from -10.04 to -4.65, and P < 0.001) and total cholesterol (TC) concentrations (WMD: -8.30 mg/dL, 95% CI: from -11.42 to -5.18, and P < 0.001) were observed.
   
   Who: participants of randomized controlled trials of probiotic fermented milk products
   Effect: LDL-C WMD -7.34 mg/dL (95% CI -10.04 to -4.65); total cholesterol -8.30 mg/dL (-11.42 to -5.18); HDL-C and TAG not significant
   Certainty: Probiotic foods with special strains, not ordinary Greek yogurt; the effect on TC and LDL is greater in men, on TG at ≥8 wk.
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
2. ev-gych-02 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 39 RCTs, 2237 participants
   The effect on TC and LDL-C level was more pronounced in men, and a greater reduction in TAG was observed in trials with longer interventions (≥8 weeks) as compared to their counterparts.
   
   Who: participants of randomized controlled trials of probiotic fermented milk products
   Effect: greater TC and LDL-C reduction in men; greater TAG reduction with interventions >=8 weeks
   Certainty: Subgroup analyses; effect size data in subgroups are in the full text, not in the abstract.
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2021 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
3. ev-gych-03 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · n = 7 RCTs, 274 participants
   Pooling of 9 effect sizes from these seven articles revealed a significant reduction in total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels following probiotic yogurt consumption (mean difference: -8.73 mg/dl, 95% CI: -15.98, -1.48, p-value = 0.018 and mean difference: -10.611 mg/dl, 95% CI: -16.529, -4.693, p-value = 0.000, respectively) without significant heterogeneity among the studies (I2 = 40.6%, p-value = 0.1 and I2 = 24.2%, p-value = 0.229, respectively).
   
   Who: subjects with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia
   Effect: LDL-C MD -10.61 mg/dL (95% CI -16.53 to -4.69); total cholesterol -8.73 mg/dL (-15.98 to -1.48); no change in HDL-C or TG
   Certainty: Probiotic yogurt; small RCTs; Greek yogurt was not studied separately.
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2020 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
4. ev-gych-04 · Meta-analysis or systematic review · systematic review of randomized controlled trials · n = 7 RCTs, 278 participants
   Consumption of LBST yogurt significantly reduced total cholesterol concentrations, ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-C and plasma glucose compared to a control yogurt-free diet or diet supplemented in another food/ingredient in two out of the seven studies.
   
   Who: healthy or chronically ill adults; yogurt containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus
   Effect: significant reduction in total cholesterol and TC:HDL-C in 2 of 7 trials; others neutral
   Certainty: Regular (not probiotic) yogurt, closest to Greek; no pooling.
   Eur J Nutr, 2017 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
5. ev-gych-05 · Observational data · systematic review (narrative synthesis) · n = 68 studies (14 controlled interventions, 37 non-controlled interventions, 17 observational)
   Overall, study quality, result consistency, and mechanistic evidence were deemed "neither convincing nor sufficient" per EFSA criteria.
   
   Who: healthy adults; conventional fermented dairy products
   Effect: most trials no significant change in lipid markers; a few modest reductions in TC and LDL-C
   Certainty: Narrative synthesis without meta-analysis; 14 controlled interventions out of 68, the rest uncontrolled and observational, so C, not A; assessed by EFSA criteria for health claims.
   Front Nutr, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
6. ev-gych-06 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized two-period crossover trial · n = 30
   Apolipoprotein B was higher for the low-fat yogurt and butter [changes from baseline, + 10.06 (95%CI 4.64 to 15.47)] compared with the full-fat yogurt [-4.27 (95%CI, -11.78 to 3.23)] and the difference between two treatment periods was statistically significant (p = 0.004).
   
   Who: healthy men and women; 1.5-2 servings/d of full-fat (4%) yogurt vs low-fat yogurt plus 10-15 g butter, 4 weeks each
   Effect: apoB change +10.06 (95% CI 4.64 to 15.47) with low-fat yogurt and butter vs -4.27 (-11.78 to 3.23) with full-fat yogurt; p = 0.004
   Certainty: Short, small; comparison with butter, not with no yogurt.
   Eur J Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
7. ev-gych-07 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized double-masked crossover controlled-feeding trial (exploratory analysis) · n = 13
   Fasting blood triacylglycerol concentrations were 10% lower in response to the full-fat yogurt diet, compared with the non-fat yogurt diet (P < 0.01).
   
   Who: adults with prediabetes (7 female, 6 male); three daily servings of full-fat (3.25%) or non-fat yogurt for 3 weeks
   Effect: fasting triacylglycerol 10% lower with full-fat yogurt (P < 0.01)
   Certainty: Exploratory analysis, 13 people.
   Lipids Health Dis, 2025 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
8. ev-gych-08 · Randomized controlled trial(s) · randomized crossover trial · n = 30
   No other condition∗time interactions were observed for the other outcomes but we did observe sex∗condition interactions for IL-6 (P = 0.011), TNF-α (P < 0.001), triglycerides (P = 0.014), and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.045), which were higher during the HD condition in males.
   
   Who: adults with overweight/obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors; 3 servings/d of low-fat milk, Skyr yogurt, full-fat cheddar vs habitual low dairy
   Effect: no condition*time interactions for metabolic outcomes; sex*condition interaction for triglycerides (P = 0.014), higher in males on high dairy
   Certainty: Skyr (strained, like Greek) only in a mixture with milk and cheese.
   J Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
9. ev-gych-09 · Observational data · scoping review of systematic reviews (mostly observational evidence) · n = 2 qualified systematic reviews plus 159 evaluated records
   Current evidence suggests an inverse association with some cardiometabolic risk factors, such as total and LDL-cholesterol, especially regarding fermented dairy products (i.e. yogurt and cheese).
   
   Who: systematic reviews of milk and dairy and health outcomes, 2011-2022
   Effect: inverse association with total and LDL cholesterol, especially fermented dairy
   Certainty: Observational associations; level C.
   Food Nutr Res, 2024 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
10. ev-gych-10 · Position of an expert body · reference dataset · n = —
    Yogurt, Greek, whole milk, plain | fdc_id 2705422 | Fatty acids, total saturated 2.39 G per 100 g | Cholesterol 17 MG per 100 g | Yogurt, Greek, nonfat milk, plain | fdc_id 2705424 | Fatty acids, total saturated 0.108 G per 100 g | Cholesterol 5 MG per 100 g
    
    Who: USDA FNDDS, Yogurt Greek plain: whole milk (fdc_id 2705422, code 11411400) and nonfat milk (fdc_id 2705424, code 11411420)
    Effect: whole milk: saturated fat 2.39 g, cholesterol 17 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) (4.1 g and 28.9 mg per 170 g container); nonfat: 0.108 g and 5 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)
    Certainty: Product composition; the card says nothing about the effect on blood lipids.
    USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, Yogurt Greek plain, food codes 11411400 and 11411420 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the dataset
11. ev-gych-11 · Observational data · cross-sectional product survey · n = 921 products
    Natural/Greek yogurts had dramatically lower sugar contents (5.0 g/100 g (1.6, 9.5), largely lactose) than all other categories. While low-fat (<3 g/100 g) products had less sugar and energy than higher fat yogurts, nonetheless 55% (285 of 518 low-fat yogurts) contained between 10 and 20 g sugar/100 g.
    
    Who: 921 yogurt products in five major UK online supermarkets, November 2016
    Effect: natural/Greek 5.0 g/100 g (1.6 to 9.5); 55% of low-fat yogurts had 10 to 20 g sugar/100 g
    Certainty: UK market 2016; flavored Greek yogurt is a different product than plain.
    BMJ Open, 2018 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the abstract
12. ev-gych-12 · Position of an expert body · national dietary guideline · n = —
    In general, saturated fat consumption should not exceed 10% of total daily calories.
    
    Who: general US population
    Effect: saturated fat no more than 10% of total daily calories
    Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (HHS, USDA), January 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section
13. ev-gych-13 · Position of an expert body · national dietary guideline · n = —
    When consuming dairy, include full-fat dairy with no added sugars.
    
    Who: general US population
    Effect: recommends including full-fat dairy without added sugars
    Certainty: A change of position versus DGA 2020-2025 (which favored low-fat).
    Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (HHS, USDA), January 2026 · checked 2026-10-07 · we read the section