Cheese Intake is Inversely Associated with LDL Cholesterol in Young Children

Abstract

Purpose: To determine if intake (servings/day) of total dairy and/or dairy subtypes (milk, cheese, and yogurt) were associated with biomarkers related to dyslipidemia, insulin sensitivity and inflammation in a sample of cardio-metabolically healthy young children from the Guelph Family Health Study at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Methods: Baseline data from 42 children (aged 2.0–6.2 years) from 33 families who provided a dietary assessment and a fasted blood sample were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Linear and logistic regressions using generalized estimating equations were used for analysis and models were adjusted for age, gender, and household income. Results: In total, 42 children (3.74 ± 1.23 years old; mean (± SD)) consumed median (25th percentile, 75th percentile) servings/day of 1.70 (1.16, 2.81) for total dairy, 0.74 (0.50, 1.70) for milk, 0.63 (0.00, 1.16) for cheese, and 0.00 (0.00, 0.38) for yogurt. Cheese intake was significantly inversely associated with LDL cholesterol (−0.16 (95% CI: −0.29, −0.03) mmol/L per serving; P = 0.02)). No other associations between dairy intake and biomarkers were significant. Conclusions: Cheese intake was inversely associated with LDL cholesterol in this preliminary study of cardio-metabolically healthy young children, thereby warranting further research on dairy intake and cardiometabolic risk factors.