A global analysis of dairy consumption and incident cardiovascular disease
Pan Zhuang, Xiaohui Liu, Li Yin, Yang Ao, Yuqi Wu, Hao Ye, Xuzhi Wan, Lange Zhang, Denghui Meng, Yimei Tian, Xiaomei Yu, Fan Zhang, Anli Wang, Yu Zhang, Jingjing Jiao
Abstract
The role of dairy products in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention remains controversial. This study investigates the association between dairy consumption and CVD incidence using data from the China Kadoorie Biobank and the UK Biobank, complemented by an updated meta-analysis. Among Chinese participants, regular dairy consumption (primarily whole milk) is associated with a 9% increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and a 6% reduced risk of stroke compared to non-consumers. Among British participants, total dairy consumption is linked to lower risks of CVD, CHD, and ischemic stroke, with cheese and semi-skimmed/skimmed milk contributing to reduced CVD risk. Meta-analysis reveals that total dairy consumption is associated with a 3.7% reduced risk of CVD and a 6% reduced risk of stroke. Notably, inverse associations with CVD incidence are observed for cheese and low-fat dairy products. Current evidence suggests that dairy consumption, particularly cheese, may have protective effects against CVD and stroke. The role of dairy products in cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention is debated. Here, the authors show that dairy consumption is associated with a lower risk of CVD and stroke, with cheese linked to reduced CVD risk, though the effects vary between Chinese and UK populations.