Eating more high-fat cheese and cream to help avoid dementia?

Contrary to common lifestyle advice about avoiding high-saturated fat dairy products to preserve brain health, a new Swedish study links eating more high-fat cheese and cream to a lower risk of developing dementia. Independent Alzheimer’s disease experts commenting on the paper published in Neurology caution that the study points to an association rather than causality.

High-fat cheeses typically have more than 20% fat and include cheddar, brie, and gouda. In the study, participants who consumed 50 g or more of high-fat cheese daily had a 13% lower risk of dementia compared to those consuming less than 15 g daily.

High-fat creams typically contain around 30–40% fat and include whipping cream, double cream, and clotted cream. These are commonly labeled as “full-fat” or “regular” versions in stores.

In the study looking at data from 27,670 people in Sweden with an average age of 58, people who consumed 20 g or more of high-fat cream daily had a 16% lower risk of dementia than those who did not.

“This research does not show that eating more high-fat dairy products, such as cheese or cream, can reduce our risk of developing dementia,” stresses Dr. Richard Oakley, an external commentator on the paper, who is the associate director of Research and Innovation at the UK Alzheimer’s Society.

“We do know, however, that what is good for the heart is good for the head, and so we recommend a healthy, balanced diet.”

Tracking participants for 25 years

Author Emily Sonestedt, Ph.D., of Lund University, Sweden, highlights that the decades-long debate over high-fat versus low-fat diets has shaped health advice, often categorizing cheese as an unhealthy food that should be limited.

Previous research also suggests that a high-fat diet, such as the keto protocol, may harm metabolism rather than benefit it in the long term. One study published in October found that these diets may fuel obesity-related fatty acids that accelerate cancer tumor growth.

The Swedish researchers tracked participants for an average of 25 years, during which 3,208 participants developed dementia.

Participants self-reported what they ate for a week and answered questionnaires about how often they ate certain foods during the past few years. They also spoke with researchers about how they prepared their food.

The team drew comparisons between participants who consumed 50 g or more of high-fat cheese daily and those who consumed less than 15 g daily.

To put it into perspective, 50 g of cheese is equivalent to approximately two slices of cheddar or half a cup of shredded cheese, weighing around 1.8 oz. An average serving of cheese is 1 oz.

Among those who ate more high-fat cheese, 10% developed dementia by the end of the trial. And for those who ate less than 15 g, 13% developed dementia.

The findings also reveal that more frequent high-fat cheese eaters had a 13% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who ate less, after adjusting for age, sex, education, and overall diet quality.

Following similar adjustments, researchers found that those who consumed high-fat cream daily had a 16% lower risk of dementia compared to those who consumed none.

Specific type of dementia risk

When looking at specific types of dementia, the researchers found that participants who ate more high-fat cheese had a 29% lower risk of vascular dementia.

Independent Alzheimer’s disease experts caution that the study points to an association rather than causality.They also report a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease among those who ate more high-fat cheese. However, this only applied to those not carrying the APOE e4 gene variant, which is a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.

The team also compared participants who consumed 20 g or more of high-fat cream daily to people who consumed none. For comparison, 20 g of high-fat cream is about 1.4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. A recommended serving is about 1–2 tablespoons.

“Our study found that some high-fat dairy products may actually lower the risk of dementia, challenging some long-held assumptions about fat and brain health,” says Sonestedt.

No association was found for low-fat dairy products, fermented milk, milk, or butter. The authors emphasize that further research is necessary to investigate which specific high-fat dairy varieties provide the greatest protection for the brain.

Study considerations

Sonestedt believes these findings suggest that when it comes to brain health, “not all dairy is equal.”

“While eating more high-fat cheese and cream was linked to a reduced risk of dementia, other dairy products and low-fat alternatives did not show the same effect,” she notes.

A limitation was that all study participants were from Sweden, so the results may not be applicable to other populations. Sonestedt points out that in Sweden, cheese is often eaten uncooked, while in the US, cheese is often heated or eaten with meat.

Therefore, she stresses that it is essential for these studies to also be conducted in the US.

Oakley at the Alzheimer’s Society counters the study’s overall findings: “Evidence shows that quitting smoking, keeping physically active, eating a healthy, balanced diet, managing long-term health conditions, and drinking less alcohol play a far greater role in reducing dementia risk than focusing on a single food.”

External commenter, Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, UK, adds that one of the biggest limitations of this study is how participants recorded their cheese consumption from a food diary and a single interview in 25 years before the dementia diagnosis. 

“It is highly likely that diet and other lifestyle factors changed in those 25 years," she emphasizes.

“Strong evidence from across the field indicates that healthy diet, exercise, and cognitively stimulating activities (such as education, challenging jobs, and hobbies) can boost brain resilience to diseases that cause dementia. There is not strong evidence for any individual food protecting people from dementia.”