Trieu K, Bhat S, Dai Z, et al. - In this study using fatty acid biomarkers, a 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 consumption), though there is a requirement for more trials to understand whether and how dairy foods protect cardiovascular health.

• Among 4,150 Swedish 60-year-olds, dairy fat intake was recorded using an objective biomarker, serum pentadecanoic acid (15:0), and data regarding CVD events and deaths were obtained during a median follow-up of 16.6 years.

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

• A systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 studies also revealed 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.