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Dairy products and its association with incidence of cardiovascular disease: the Malmö diet and cancer cohort

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Abstract

It is unclear whether specific dairy products are associated with risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of this project was therefore to examine the association between intake of milk, cheese, cream and butter, and incidence of CVD in the Swedish Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort. Milk was separated into fermented (yoghurt and cultured sour milk) versus non-fermented milk, and low-fat versus high-fat milk. Among 26,445 individuals without a history of myocardial infarction, stroke and diabetes (44–74 years; 62% females), 2,520 CVD cases (coronary and stroke events) were identified during a mean follow-up time of 12 years. Dietary data was collected using a modified diet history method. Overall consumption of dairy products was inversely associated with risk of CVD (P trend = 0.05). Among the specific dairy products, a statistically significant inverse relationship was observed only for fermented milk. The highest versus lowest intake category of fermented milk was associated with 15% (95% CI: 5–24%; P trend = 0.003) decreased incidence of CVD. We observed a statistically significant interaction between sex and cheese intake (P = 0.046). Cheese intake was significantly associated with decreased CVD risk in women (P trend = 0.03), but not in men (P trend = 0.98). The main finding was that a high intake of fermented milk may reduce the risk of CVD. This study suggests that it is important to examine dairy products separately when investigating their health effects.

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Abbreviations

BMI:

Body mass index

CVD:

Cardiovascular disease

HbA1c:

Hemoglobin A1c

HDL-C:

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol

HOMA:

Homeostasis model assessment

HR:

Hazard ratio

ICD-9:

International classification of diseases, 9th revision

LDL-C:

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

MDC:

Malmö diet and cancer

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Lund University Diabetes Center (LUDC); the Swedish Medical Research Council (K2009-65X-15358-11-3); the Swedish Heart and Lung Foundation (2009-014); the Region Skåne; the Skåne University Hospital Foundation; the Albert Påhlsson Research Foundation; and the Crafoord foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Clincial Research Centre, Lund University, 60:13, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, entrance 72, 20502, Malmö, Sweden

    Emily Sonestedt, Elisabet Wirfält, Peter Wallström, Bo Gullberg & Bo Hedblad

  2. Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Clincial Research Centre, Lund University, 91:12, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, entrance 72, 20502, Malmö, Sweden

    Marju Orho-Melander

Authors
  1. Emily Sonestedt
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  2. Elisabet Wirfält
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  4. Bo Gullberg
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  6. Bo Hedblad
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Correspondence to Emily Sonestedt.

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Sonestedt, E., Wirfält, E., Wallström, P. et al. Dairy products and its association with incidence of cardiovascular disease: the Malmö diet and cancer cohort. Eur J Epidemiol 26, 609–618 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-011-9589-y

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