A recent Swedish study has found that consuming high-fat cheese and cream may be linked to a lower risk of developing dementia over a period of 25 years. The research, published in the journal Neurology, analyzed data from the Malmö Diet and Cancer (MDC) study, which followed more than 27,000 adults aged 45 to 73 from Malmö, Sweden, between 1991 and 1996.
Participants’ dairy consumption was measured at the start of the study using food diaries, questionnaires, and interviews. Dairy products were divided into four groups: milk, fermented milk products, cheese, and cream. Each group was further split by fat content. The participants were then tracked until they developed dementia, died, moved away from Sweden, or until December 2020.
During a median follow-up of about 25 years, researchers identified over 3,200 cases of all-cause dementia among participants. Those who consumed at least 50 grams per day of high-fat cheese had a 13% lower risk of developing any form of dementia compared to those eating less than or equal to 15 grams per day (hazard ratio [HR] 0.87; confidence interval [CI] 0.78–0.97). Similarly, people who consumed at least 20 grams per day of high-fat cream had a 16% lower risk compared with non-consumers (HR 0.84; CI 0.72–0.98).
The strongest association for high-fat cheese was observed with vascular dementia (VaD), while high-fat cream showed inverse associations with both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and VaD when intake was considered as a continuous variable.
Low-fat dairy products—including low-fat cheese and cream as well as milk—did not show significant links to dementia risk in this study. High butter intake was associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease in subtype analyses.
Genetic analysis indicated that the protective effect seen with high-fat cheese intake on Alzheimer’s disease occurred only in individuals without the APOE ε4 allele—a known genetic risk factor for AD.
Substitution models suggested that replacing high-fat cheese or cream with processed meat or red meat could be linked to higher dementia risk; however, these comparisons are statistical estimates rather than direct dietary recommendations.
The authors noted differences in baseline health characteristics across groups: people consuming more full-fat cheese and cream tended to have lower body mass index (BMI), higher education levels, and fewer cardiometabolic conditions.
Researchers caution that their findings do not establish causation because this is an observational study. They recommend interpreting results carefully: "The authors emphasize that the results should be interpreted cautiously and do not justify changes to dietary guidelines without confirmation from randomized or mechanistic studies."
