Dairy products are enjoying a renewed spotlight in health conversations, with yogurt emerging as a potential superfood and full-fat options gaining attention. When the federal government’s updated food pyramid features cheese prominently alongside steak, it raises questions: Has cheese become a health food, and what does this mean for LDL cholesterol, long linked to heart disease? “Food is complicated,” explains cardiologist Dariush Mozaffarian, MD, director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University in Boston, who has noted that full-fat dairy may offer benefits comparable to low-fat versions. “You can’t just think of some single thing like saturated fat content or even calories and make a decision.”
Federal dietary guidelines have long recommended three daily servings of dairy, but a new directive encourages full-fat options. However, Frank Hu, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, cautions that consuming this much full-fat dairy could push saturated fat intake beyond the recommended limit of less than 10% of total daily calories. This is especially true for individuals who also eat other high-saturated fat foods like animal protein. “And then they encourage people to use butter or beef tallow instead of vegetable oils for cooking. And so that’s why the math really doesn’t add up,” Hu says.
The Core of the Dairy Debate
Mozaffarian proposes a nuanced approach: exclude saturated fat from full-fat dairy when calculating the 10% limit, a method the government used when adding whole milk to school lunch programs. He argues that evidence is “very clear that there’s really no advantage to consuming low-fat dairy over full-fat dairy. And there could be some advantages to consuming whole-fat dairy over low-fat dairy, although that needs to be studied more.” In contrast, Hu disagrees, stating, “That doesn’t make sense. Saturated fat is saturated fat. It’s the same molecule. It’s like saying, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t count added sugar in yogurt because overall, yogurt is healthy.’”
Many nutrition experts advocate for a more conservative stance, emphasizing that low-fat and nonfat dairy, along with dairy alternatives, are equally advised in the new dietary guidelines, despite simplified “eat real food” messaging. The American College of Cardiology continues to recommend prioritizing plant-based foods and limiting saturated fat from all sources to 10% of daily calories.
What the Science Reveals About Full-Fat Dairy
The health benefits of dairy are well-documented. “Milk lowers blood pressure, and that’s associated with lower risk of stroke. Cheese is actually associated with a lower risk of diabetes. Yogurt is associated with lower weight gain and a lower risk of diabetes,” Mozaffarian notes. “Dairy has always been recommended as part of a healthy diet. There’s really not much controversy about that. So it’s really a question of: Should it be whole-fat or low-fat?”
Recent research indicates that health outcomes may not differ significantly between whole-fat and low-fat dairy. Federal guidelines are updated every five years, and in the latest cycle, saturated fat sources were compared for the first time. Mozaffarian points out that over 100 studies have examined health outcomes based on dairy fat content, reviewed by the 2025 advisory committee. Their report offers two key conclusions: limited evidence suggests switching to higher-fat dairy won’t increase cardiovascular disease risk, and evidence supports replacing saturated fats from sources like butter, dairy, and red meat with plant-based alternatives to reduce heart and blood vessel problems.
Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, a retired professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University who served on the 2005 advisory committee, highlights the term “limited” in the first conclusion. She notes that studies comparing lower-fat to whole-fat dairy are often short-term and conducted outside the U.S., potentially limiting applicability to Americans on a Western diet. Hu adds a caveat: dairy benefits might reflect higher socioeconomic status or reduced refined carbohydrate intake, factors that could explain observed associations. It’s also crucial to consider what foods dairy replaces in studies, as most research looks at swapping low-fat or nonfat versions for full-fat ones.
Practical Tips for Making Dairy Choices
Mozaffarian and other nutrition scientists agree on a fundamental principle for dairy selection: adopt an “eat this, not that” mindset by asking, “Compared to what?” when in the dairy aisle. He categorizes foods into super healthy options like yogurt, fruit, vegetables, and fish; clearly unhealthy ones like sugary drinks, processed meat, and ultraprocessed foods; and in-between foods like cheese. “If you’re going to have cheese instead of blueberries and figs and broccoli, it’s probably worse for you. But if you’re going to have cheese instead of white bread or a soda or candy, it’s better for you,” he explains.
For those consuming sweetened dairy products, Mozaffarian suggests switching to cheese or whole-fat plain versions, as they are preferable to sweetened low-fat options. If you already eat plain low-fat dairy, there’s no need to change, but if you prefer whole-fat, “then by all means switch.” He emphasizes that insufficient evidence exists to universally recommend switching from low-fat to whole-fat dairy; instead, choose whole-fat as a healthier alternative to less nutritious foods.
Kris-Etherton supports this approach, noting that if someone dislikes skim milk, including some full-fat dairy can provide essential nutrients and is a better choice than sugar-sweetened beverages or fruit drinks. She points out that whole milk may enhance fullness due to slower stomach emptying, and cheese has been linked to reduced waist circumference in some studies, with no clear weight loss differences when switching to full-fat dairy. “Calories are an issue” and should be monitored, she advises, recommending a cholesterol check after six months for those increasing full-fat dairy intake.
Kris-Etherton also references the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 program, which focuses on optimizing sleep, diet, physical activity, weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, and quitting smoking. “What the research has shown is that people who have all of those in check, you have a lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease,” she says. “So you can’t just say, ‘Oh, well, one really isn’t very important.’”
