More settled science, unsettled

In fact, the whole saturated fat-chloresterol fraud has been debunked for years, but here's the latest:

Cheese, whole milk, do not increase risk of heart attack

Eating dairy does not raise the risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, a team of international experts have found.

Even full-fat cheese, milk and yoghurt do not increase the danger, a meta-analysis of 29 studies found.

The findings contradict warnings that dairy can be harmful because of its high saturated fat content.

The NHS warns, in public information on milk and dairy, that too much saturated fat builds up cholesterol which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

But the research team, including the University of Reading, concluded that dairy has only a ‘neutral’ impact on human health.

Ian Givens, professor of food chain nutrition at Reading University, said: ‘There’s quite a widespread but mistaken belief among the public that dairy products in general can be bad for you, but that’s a misconception.

'While it is a widely held belief, our research shows that that’s wrong.

‘There’s been a lot of publicity over the last five to 10 years about how saturated fats increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and a belief has grown up that they must increase the risk, but they don’t.’

The meta-analysis found no links between milk, total dairy, high or low-fat dairy and coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease. 

In fact, the studies including 938,465 participants suggest fermented dairy products may even potentially slightly lower the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

The paper, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, found no increased risk of death from any cause.

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