The Claim

In overweight postmenopausal women, a two-week diet high in cheese increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol by 5% and apolipoprotein A-I by 8%, and reduces the apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A-I ratio by 5%, compared to a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet.

Source: Diets with high-fat cheese, high-fat meat, or carbohydrate on cardiovascular risk markers in overweight postmenopausal women: a randomized crossover trial.

What the research says

Supports is higher

Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.

Supports
60score
Challenges
0score

These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.

Cause and effect
1 study reviewed
In plain English

In overweight women after menopause, eating a lot of cheese for two weeks raises HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I levels while lowering the ratio of apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A-I, compared to eating a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet.

See the scientific wording

In overweight postmenopausal women, consuming a diet high in cheese for two weeks increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol by 5% and apolipoprotein A-I by 8%, while reducing the apolipoprotein B to apolipoprotein A-I ratio by 5%, compared to a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, suggesting a potentially less atherogenic lipid profile.

Why this might work

When cheese is eaten, calcium in the cheese binds to fats in the gut, making them pass out in stool instead of being absorbed. This reduces the amount of fat reaching the liver. At the same time, more bile acids are lost in stool, forcing the liver to use more cholesterol to make new bile acids. With less fat and more cholesterol being used up, the liver makes more HDL cholesterol and apo A-I, which help remove bad fats from the blood and lower the ratio of harmful to protective lipids.

Verified mechanismbased on 1 study

What the research says

1 study

  1. Study: Diets with high-fat cheese, high-fat meat, or carbohydrate on cardiovascular risk markers in overweight postmenopausal women: a randomized crossover trial.

    In a short study, overweight postmenopausal women who ate cheese daily for two weeks saw their 'good' cholesterol go up and their harmful-to-good cholesterol ratio go down, compared to those eating lots of carbs. This suggests cheese might be better for heart health than carbs in this group.

Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies

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