Overview
- Researchers analyzed 27,670 Swedish adults (average age 58) over about 25 years, during which 3,208 developed dementia.
- Eating at least 50 grams per day of high-fat cheese was associated with a 13% lower overall dementia risk, and consuming 20 grams or more of high-fat cream was linked to a 16% lower risk.
- The association was strongest for vascular dementia, with higher high-fat cheese intake linked to a 29% lower risk.
- A lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease appeared only among people without the APOE ε4 genetic variant.
- No association was found for low-fat dairy, milk, butter, or fermented milk products, and experts cautioned that the single baseline diet measure and Sweden-only sample limit causal conclusions.