Conclusion
This study demonstrates that diets matched for fat content from cheese, but which differ in the amounts of calcium delivered within the matrix, result in differences in fasting LDL-c values, in a group of healthy males. Increasing the level of Ca within the cheese matrix resulted in significantly lower LCL-c vs. the reduced Ca cheese, and compared to the same RC cheese with matched Ca, delivered as a supplement. The mechanistic reason underlying this is unclear. Our results do not support the increased faecal fat hypothesis, but we acknowledge that the high attrition rate here limits the ability to draw strong conclusions on the mechanism. The increased faecal rates with calcium supplementation warrant further study. While the amounts of cheese eaten here (240 g/day) are greater than would be consumed more generally, these findings have implications for dietary guidelines, and provide further evidence that food matrix effects are an important consideration when studying the effects of nutrient and food intake on health outcomes.
