Is dairy product consumption associated with the incidence of CHD?

Objective: Studies examining the association of dairy consumption with incident CHD have yielded inconsistent results. The current prospective study examined the association between dairy consumption and CHD in a population-based sample of older community-dwelling adults. Design: Baseline CHD risk factors were assessed and an FFQ was self-administered. Participants were followed for morbidity and mortality with periodic clinic visits and annual mailed questionnaires for an average of 16.2 years, with a 96% follow-up rate for fatal and non-fatal CHD. Setting: Community. Subjects: Participants were 751 men and 1008 women aged 50-93 years who attended a clinic visit in 1984-1987. Results: At baseline the mean age was 70.6 (SD 9.8) years for men and 70.1 (SD 9.3) years for women. Participants who developed CHD during follow-up were significantly older (P< 0.001), had higher BMI (P = 0.035) and higher total cholesterol (P = 0.050), and were more likely to be male (P< 0.001), diabetic (P = 0.011) and hypertensive (P< 0.001), than those who did not develop CHD. Multivariate regression analyses adjusting for age, BMI, diabetes, hypertension, LDL-cholesterol and oestrogen use (in women) indicated that women who consumed low-fat cheese 'sometimes/often' and women who consumed non-fat milk 'sometimes/often' had an increased risk of incident CHD (hazard ratio = 2.32; 95% CI 1.57, 3.41) and CHD (hazard ratio = 1.48; 95% CI 1.02, 2.16) compared with women who 'never/rarely' ate these dairy products. Conclusions: Woman with higher intake of low-fat cheese and non-fat milk seem to have a higher risk of incident CHD. This needs further investigation considering recent evidence of cardiovascular benefits from certain dairy fat.