Full-fat hard cheese can raise LDL if you eat a lot of it. You don't have to give it up: use smaller portions and lower-fat types.
One ounce (28 g) of cheddar, about a matchbox-sized piece, has 5.3 g of saturated fat, 40% of a 13 g daily target. Trials suggest cheese raises LDL less than butter with the same fat, but it still raises LDL compared with plant-based alternatives. Cottage cheese, part-skim mozzarella and strong cheeses you use sparingly, like parmesan, make it much easier to stay under your limit.
Cheese: nutrition per serving
| Food and serving | Sat fat | Cholesterol | Fibre | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheddar1 oz (28 g) · FDC 173414 | 5.3 g | 28 mg | 0 g | 113 |
| Brie1 oz (28 g) · FDC 172177 | 4.9 g | 28 mg | 0 g | 94 |
| Feta1 oz (28 g) · FDC 173420 | 3.7 g | 25 mg | 0 g | 74 |
| Reduced-fat cheddar1 oz (28 g) · FDC 171292 | 3.5 g | 21 mg | 0 g | 88 |
| Mozzarella, part-skim1 oz (28 g) · FDC 170847 | 2.8 g | 18 mg | 0 g | 71 |
| Parmesan, hard10 g (2 tbsp grated) · FDC 170848 | 1.5 g | 7 mg | 0 g | 39 |
| Cottage cheese, 1% fat½ cup (113 g) · FDC 173417 | 0.7 g | 5 mg | 0 g | 81 |
Cheese contains some cholesterol (about 28 mg per ounce of cheddar), but its saturated fat has a bigger effect on blood LDL. Values vary by brand: check the label, where over 5 g of saturates per 100 g counts as "high" in the UK. Most hard cheeses have around 15 to 20 g per 100 g. Source: USDA FoodData Central (public domain); search the FDC number to see the full record. Values are rounded and vary by brand and recipe.
How quickly cheese uses up your saturated fat
Cheese adds up fast because portions are easy to underestimate. A cheese sandwich with two slices of cheddar (about 40 g) is around 7.5 g of saturated fat. A pizza or a cheese board can pass 13 g on its own. The lighter cheeses below give you the taste for a fraction of the cost.
Bars show each serving against about 13 g a day, the American Heart Association's target (under 6% of 2,000 calories) for people lowering LDL. Work out your own number with the saturated fat calculator.
Does eating cheese cause high cholesterol?
It can contribute, and the main reason is saturated fat. The 2026 ACC/AHA cholesterol guideline recommends replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat to lower LDL, and the NHS lists cheese among the foods to cut down on.
Cheese does seem to behave a little differently from other dairy fat. A 2015 meta-analysis of 5 randomised trials compared hard cheese with butter containing similar fat. On the cheese diets, LDL was 6.5% lower (0.22 mmol/L) than on the butter diets. A Danish trial found cheese didn't raise LDL compared with people's habitual diet. Researchers have suggested cheese's calcium, its particular fatty acids or its structure (the "food matrix") as reasons, but it isn't settled.
But "less bad than butter" isn't the same as good. In the same meta-analysis, cheese raised total or LDL cholesterol compared with tofu or fat-modified cheese. The trials also used large amounts (around 145 g a day), so they don't tell you much about a normal portion. The practical answer is to treat full-fat cheese as a flavouring, not a main ingredient.
Low-cholesterol cheese options
- Cottage cheese (1% or 2% fat): 0.7 to 1.4 g of saturated fat per half cup. Good on crackers, jacket potatoes or with fruit.
- Part-skim mozzarella: about half the saturated fat of cheddar per ounce. Good for pizza, pasta bakes and salads.
- Parmesan and other strong hard cheeses: high in saturated fat by weight, but so strong that 10 g (2 tablespoons grated) is enough to flavour a dish.
- Feta: a little lower than cheddar, and its sharp flavour goes further in a salad.
- Reduced-fat cheddar: about a third less saturated fat than regular.
- Quark and fat-free cream cheese: useful in sauces, dips and baking.
Plant-based "cheeses" made with coconut oil are not a better choice. Coconut oil is mostly saturated fat, so check the label.
Ways to use less without missing it
- Grate, don't slice. Grated cheese covers more area, so you use less. Use a mature or extra-mature cheese for more flavour per gram.
- Weigh it once. Most people's "slice" is 30 to 40 g. Seeing 28 g on a scale helps.
- Swap the spread. Hummus, avocado or peanut butter on crackers and toast instead of cheese.
- Use nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavour on pasta and popcorn.
- Order pizza with half the cheese or extra vegetables, and skip stuffed crusts.
How much cheese is sensible?
If you're working to lower LDL, around 1 oz (28 g) of full-fat hard cheese a few times a week fits comfortably, as long as the rest of your diet is low in saturated fat. Lower-fat cheeses like cottage cheese and part-skim mozzarella can be eaten more often. If you have cheese every day, track it for a week to see how much of your saturated fat it makes up. For many people it's the single biggest source.
General information, not medical advice
This page is for education and doesn't diagnose or treat anything. If you have high cholesterol, take medication or have another health condition, check changes to your diet with your doctor or a registered dietitian.
Frequently asked questions
Does eating cheese cause high cholesterol?
Cheese can raise LDL cholesterol because it is high in saturated fat: 1 oz of cheddar has about 5.3 g. Trials suggest it raises LDL less than butter with the same fat, but more than plant foods. Small portions and lower-fat cheeses keep it in a cholesterol-lowering diet.
What are the best low-cholesterol cheese options?
Cottage cheese (1% or 2%), part-skim mozzarella, reduced-fat cheddar and quark are lowest in saturated fat. Strong cheeses like parmesan are high by weight, but you only need a little.
How much cheese can I eat with high cholesterol?
About 1 oz (28 g) of full-fat hard cheese a few times a week fits most low saturated fat diets. That piece has about 5 g of saturated fat, roughly 40% of a 13 g daily target, so plan the rest of the day around it.
Is cheese worse than butter for cholesterol?
No. In a meta-analysis of 5 trials using similar amounts of fat, LDL was 6.5% lower on hard cheese diets than on butter diets. Both are high in saturated fat, though, and both raise LDL compared with unsaturated fats.
Is cottage cheese good for high cholesterol?
Yes. Half a cup of 1% cottage cheese has about 0.7 g of saturated fat and 5 mg of cholesterol, with plenty of protein. It is one of the easiest swaps for cheddar on crackers or potatoes.
Scan or log cheese in Heart Tracker
Scan the barcode on your cheese and log the grams you actually use. Heart Tracker adds up saturated fat across the day against your target, which makes it obvious how much a cheese sandwich or pizza uses.
Download Heart Tracker FreeRelated guides
Sources
- de Goede J, et al. Effect of cheese consumption on blood lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutr Rev. 2015;73(5):259–75.
- Hjerpsted J, et al. Cheese intake in large amounts lowers LDL-cholesterol concentrations compared with butter intake of equal fat content. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;94(6):1479–84.
- NHS: How to lower your cholesterol.
- 2026 ACC/AHA multisociety guideline on the management of dyslipidemia. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2026.
- USDA FoodData Central: cheddar (FDC 173414), brie (172177), feta (173420), cheddar reduced fat (171292), mozzarella part skim (170847), parmesan hard (170848), cottage cheese 1% (173417) and 2% (172182).