(P14-056-23) Association Between Dairy Products and Lipid Profiles Among Women Who are Post-Menopause

Objectives: To explore the relationship between total animal dairy products and total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) in healthy women who are post-menopause.

Methods: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional baseline data previously collected as part of the Minnesota Green Tea Trial. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Fasting blood serum lipid concentrations were measured using spectrophotometry methodology. The relationships between animal dairy products and blood lipid concentrations were analyzed using multiple linear regression adjusting for age, BMI, physical activity, statin use, alcohol, saturated fat, and dietary fiber intake.

Results: The mean ± SD of age and BMI of the sample were 58.8 ± 5.0 years and 25.1 ± 3.7 kg/m², respectively. Participants (N=937) were primarily White (n= 911, 97.5%), and non-Hispanic (n=917, 99.0%). The mean ± SD for TC was 207.9 ± 31.0 mg/dL classified as “borderline high” and 118.6 ± 28.2 mg/dL for LDL-C classified as “near or above normal”. Most participants (n=826, 88.2%) had a normal serum TG value ( < 150 mg/DL), and HDL-C was classified as high (≥60 mg/dL) in 69% of participants (n=646). The median (IQR) for total animal dairy was 1.3 (0.8, 2.0) servings per day. There was no significant relationship between total animal dairy servings and any of the serum lipids. When analyzed by type of dairy, milk was significantly negatively associated with HDL-C (β= -1.632, 95% CI: -2.93, -0.33) and positively associated with TG (β= 3.740, 95% CI: 0.41, 7.07) in crude analyses. Also, yogurt was significantly positively associated with HDL-C (β= 4.11, 95% CI: 0.17, 8.05) and negatively associated with TG (β= -16.032, 95% CI: -26.08, -5.99) in unadjusted models.  However, adjusting for age and other clinical or dietary factors attenuated the associations and the statistical significance was lost.

Conclusions: These data contribute to existing research suggesting that isolated food groups may not affect lipid profiles. More research is needed to establish if there is a relationship between total animal dairy intake and serum lipid concentrations in the context of overall dietary patterns.

Funding Sources: National Cancer Institute (Grant R01 CA127236)