Trieu K, Bhat S, Dai Z, et al. - Lower cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in relation to higher intake of dairy fat was observed in diverse populations including Sweden (a country with high dairy intake), in this study using fatty acid biomarkers.

• In 4,150 Swedish 60-year-olds, dairy fat intake was measured using an objective biomarker, serum pentadecanoic acid (15:0), and a median follow-up of 16.6 years was conducted for CVD events and deaths.

• On accounting for known risk factors, high levels of the dairy fat biomarker 15:0 were associated with the lowest CVD risk, while risk of all-cause mortality was the lowest in those with biomarker levels around the median.

• A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed, and integrated evidence from 18 studies demonstrated higher concentrations of 2 dairy fat biomarkers (15:0 and heptadecanoic acid 17:0) were associated with lower risk of CVD, but not with all-cause mortality.