A global analysis of dairy consumption and incident cardiovascular disease - PubMed (original) (raw)

Meta-Analysis

doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55585-0.

Pan Zhuang # 1 2 3, Yin Li 2, Yang Ao 2, Yuqi Wu 4, Hao Ye 1 2, Xuzhi Wan 1 2, Lange Zhang 2, Denghui Meng 3 4, Yimei Tian 3 4, Xiaomei Yu 3 4, Fan Zhang 4, Anli Wang 3 4, Yu Zhang 5 6, Jingjing Jiao 7 8

Affiliations

Meta-Analysis

A global analysis of dairy consumption and incident cardiovascular disease

Pan Zhuang et al. Nat Commun. 2025.

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.

© 2025. The Author(s).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1

Fig. 1. Associations of dairy consumption with cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke risk for high compared with low category of intake using random effects meta-analysis.

a Cardiovascular disease. b Coronary heart disease. c Stroke. Meta-analysis pooling of aggregate data used the random-effects inverse-variance model with DerSimonian-Laird estimate of tau². Data are presented as hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Squares represent study-specific HRs. Horizontal lines denote 95% CIs. Gray square areas are proportional to the individual study weight for the overall meta-analysis. The red dotted line represents risk ratio of pooled meta-analysis. The blue hollow diamonds represent the results of the meta-analysis for each group, with the center indicating the risk ratio and the width representing the 95% CI. I2 refers to the proportion of heterogeneity among studies. All statistical tests were two-sided. M, men; W, women; CKB, China Kadoorie Biobank; UKB, UK Biobank. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

Fig. 2

Fig. 2. Associations of milk, yogurt, cheese consumption with cardiovascular disease risk for high compared with low category of intake using random effects meta-analysis.

a Milk. b Yogurt. c Cheese. Meta-analysis pooling of aggregate data used the random-effects inverse-variance model with DerSimonian-Laird estimate of tau². Data are presented as hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Squares represent study-specific HRs. Horizontal lines denote 95% CIs. Gray square areas are proportional to the individual study weight for the overall meta-analysis. The red dotted line represents risk ratio of pooled meta-analysis. The blue hollow diamonds represent the results of the meta-analysis for each group, with the center indicating the risk ratio and the width representing the 95% CI. I2 refers to the proportion of heterogeneity among studies. All statistical tests were two-sided. M, men; W, women; CKB, China Kadoorie Biobank; UKB, UK Biobank. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

Fig. 3

Fig. 3. Associations of low-fat and high-fat dairy consumption with cardiovascular disease risk for high compared with low category of intake using random effects meta-analysis.

a Low-fat dairy. b High-fat dairy. Meta-analysis pooling of aggregate data used the random-effects inverse-variance model with DerSimonian-Laird estimate of tau². Data are presented as hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Squares represent study-specific HRs. Horizontal lines denote 95% CIs. Gray square areas are proportional to the individual study weight for the overall meta-analysis. The red dotted line represents risk ratio of pooled meta-analysis. All statistical tests were two-sided. The blue hollow diamonds represent the results of the meta-analysis for each group, with the center indicating the risk ratio and the width representing the 95% CI. I2 refers to the proportion of heterogeneity among studies. M, men; W, women; CKB, China Kadoorie Biobank; UKB, UK Biobank. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.

References

    1. Yusuf, S. et al. Cardiovascular risk and events in 17 low-, middle-, and high-income countries. N. Engl. J. Med.371, 818–827 (2014). -DOI -PubMed
    1. Willett, W. C. & Ludwig, D. S. Milk and health. N. Engl. J. Med.382, 644–654 (2020). -DOI -PubMed
    1. Pal, S. & Radavelli-Bagatini, S. The effects of whey protein on cardiometabolic risk factors. Obes. Rev.14, 324–343 (2013). -DOI -PubMed
    1. Bruno, R. S., Pokala, A., Torres-Gonzalez, M. & Blesso, C. N. Cardiometabolic health benefits of dairy-milk polar lipids. Nutr. Rev.79, 16–35 (2021). -DOI -PMC -PubMed
    1. Pérez-Hernández, N. et al. Vitamin D and its effects on cardiovascular diseases: a comprehensive review. Korean J. Intern. Med.31, 1018–1029 (2016). -DOI -PMC -PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources