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. 2017 Apr 3;32(4):269–287. doi: 10.1007/s10654-017-0243-1

Table 1.

Characteristics of 29 prospective cohort studies on dairy consumption and CHD, CVD risk or mortality

References Study, country Men (%) Mean age, year Mean BMI, kg/m2 Follow-up time No. of cases No. of subjects Dairy types included in meta-analysis Dietary assessment Outcome; ascertainment Main confounders
Kahn et al. [12] California Seventh-Day Adventists, USA 40 21 6180 deaths 27,530 Milk, Cheese FFQ (unvalidated) All-cause mortality; deaths were matched by computer tapes Age, sex, smoking history, history of major chronic disease
Mann et al. [13] Vegetarian, semi-vegetarians, and meat eaters; UK 38 34 22.3 13.3 392 deaths (64 fatal IHD) 10,802 Milk, Cheese FFQ (unvalidated) All-cause mortality, fatal IHD; National Health Service Central Register, causes of death was coded by investigator blinded Age, sex, smoking, social class
Appleby et al. [14] Oxford Vegetarian Study; UK 34 22.3 12 63 fatal CHD 10,800 Milk, Cheese Simple FFQ (unvalidated) Fatal IHD; National death certificate Age, sex, smoking, socioeconomic status
Bostick et al. [15] Postmenopausal women, Iowa; USA 0 61.5 26.8 8 387 fatal IHD 34,486 Total dairy, High-fat dairy FFQ (validated) Fata IHD; Registry and follow-up questionnaire Age, total energy intake, body mass index, waist: ratio, history of diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking status, postmenopausal oestrogen use, alcohol intake, education, marital status, physical activity, dietary vitamin E and saturated fat intake
Hu et al. [16] Nurses’ Health Study; USA 0 46.5 24.2 14 939 CHD 41,254 Total dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, Milk FFQ (validated) CHD (fatal and nonfatal); medical records reviewed by physicians blind to risk factors; deaths from registry, jps[ota; records or autopsy Age, time period, BMI, smoking, menopausal status (including hormone replacement therapy), parental history of MI, vitamin E supplement, alcohol, history of hypertension, aspirin, physical activity, total energy intake
Fortes et al. [17] Elderly residents from public home in Rome; Italy 32 80 25.6 5 53 deaths 162 Cheese FFQ (validated) All-cause mortality; Registry Age, sex, education, BMI, smoking, cognitive function, chronic diseases
Ness et al. [18] Working men in west of Scotland; UK 100 48 25.3 25 2350 deaths (1212 fatal CVD, 892 fatal CHD) 5765 Milk Questionnaire (check by interview) All-cause mortality, fatal CVD, fatal CHD; National Healthy Service Central Registry Age, smoking, BP, cholesterol, BMI, forced expiratory volume, social class, education, deprivation, siblings, car user, angina, ECG ischemia, bronchitis, alcohol
Al-Delaimy et al. [19] Health Professionals Follow-up Study 100 53 25.4 12 14,468 IHD (fatal and non-fatal) 39,800 Total dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, Milk FFQ (validated) IHD (fatal and nonfatal); medical records reviewed, autopsy reports, death certificates Age, time period, energy intake, history of diabetes, history of hypercholesterolemia and hypertension, family history of MI, smoking history, aspirin, BMI, alcohol intake, physical activity, vitamin E, trans fatty acids, PUFA:SFA ratio, total protein intake, fibre, folate, n-3 fatty acids, and a-linolenic acid
Elwood et al. [20] Caerphilly cohort; UK 100 52 26.1 22 811 deaths, 628 CVD, 493 IHD 2512 Milk FFQ (validated) All-cause mortality, CVD (fatal and nonfatal), IHD (fatal and nonfatal); ECG examination, GP and hospital records Age, total energy, smoking, social class, BMI, systolic BP, alcohol and fat, prior vascular disease
Knoops et al. [21] HALE study (combination of SENECA and FINE studies) 66 75 10 1382 deaths 3117 Total dairy Dietary history All-cause mortality; general practitioners and/or hospital registers or vital status Age, sex, alcohol, physical activity, smoking, number of years of education, BMI, chronic diseases, study centre
Paganini-Hill et al. [22] Leisure World Cohort Study; USA 37 74 23.5 23 11,386 deaths 13,624 Milk Questionnaire (unvalidated) All-cause mortality; hospital discharge data, death indexes and ascertainment of death certificates Age, sex, smoking, exercise, BMI, alcohol, hypertension, angina, MI, stroke, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer
Engberink et al. [40] The Rottedam Study, Netherlands 38 66.9 26.2 11.2 1111 death (307 from CVD) 3971 Total dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, Cheese FFQ (validated) All-cause mortality, CVD mortality; medical record and digital record linkage Age, sex, BMI, SBP, total cholesterol, family history of MI, use of oestrogen, smoking, educational level, alcohol consumption, total energy, saturated fat, intake of fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, coffee, and tea
Panagiotakos et al. [23] ATTICA Study; Greece 50 53 27 5 30 CVD (fatal and non-fatal) 686 Total dairy, Cheese, Yogurt, Milk FFQ (validated) CVD (fatal and non-fatal); medical records Age, sex, BMI, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, current smoking, physical activity
Bonthuis et al. [24] Community-based sample, Australia 43 49.8 26.2 14.4 177 death (61 from CVD) 1529 Total dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, Milk, Yogurt, Full-fat cheese FFQ (validated) All-cause mortality, CVD mortality; National Death Index of Australia Age, sex, total energy intake, body mass index, alcohol intake, school leaving age, physical activity level, pack years of smoking, dietary supplement use, b-carotene treatment during trial, presence of any medical condition, and dietary calcium intake.
Goldbohm et al. [25] Netherland Cohort Study 48 61.6 24.4 10 16,136 death (2689 from IHD) 120,852 Total dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, High-fat fermented dairy, Low-fat fermented dairy, Cheese 150 item FFQ (validated) All-cause mortality, IHD mortality; Dutch Central Bureau of Genealogy and the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics Age, education, cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoking, nonoccupational physical activity, occupational physical activity, BMI, multivitamin use, alcohol, energy, energy-adjusted mono- and polyunsaturated fat intakes, and vegetable and fruit consumption
Sonestedt et al. [26] The Malmo diet and cancer cohort, Sweden 38 57.3 25.2 12 2520 CVD 26,445 Total dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, Fermented dairy, Milk, Cheese Dietary assessment method CVD (fatal and non-fatal) Sex, season, method, energy intake, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, leisure-time physical activity, and education
Dalmeijer et al. [27] EPIC-NL; Netherlands 25.5 48.7 25.6 10 1184 death, 1807 total CVD, 1309 total CHD, 33,625 Total dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, Fermented dairy, Cheese 79-item FFQ (validated) All-cause mortality, CVD (fatal and nonfatal), CHD (fatal and nonfatal); Register of hospital discharge diagnoses Gender, age, total energy intake, physical activity, smoking, education, BMI, ethanol, coffee, fruit, vegetables, fish, meat and bread
Kondo et al. [28] National Integrated Project for Prospective Observation of Non-communicable Disease And its Trends in the Aged, Japan 44 50.3 22.7 24 893 CVD death, 174 CHD death; 9243 Milk Weighed diet records and dietary interviews CVD mortality, CHD mortality; follow-up surveys Age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol drinking habit, history of diabetes, use of antihypertensive, work category, and total energy intake
Soedamah-Muthu et al. [31] Whitehall II Study, United Kingdom 72 56 25.9 10 323 CHD; 237 all-cause mortality 4526 Total dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, Milk, Fermented dairy, Cheese, Yogurt 114 item FFQ (validated) All-cause mortality, CHD (fatal and non-fatal); Death was collected from NHS Central Registry, cases of MI were identified from twelve-lead electrocardiograms Age, ethnicity and employment grade, smoking, alcohol intake, BMI, physical activity and family history of CHD/hypertension, fruit and vegetables, bread, meat, fish, coffee, tea and total energy intake
Louie et al. [29] The Blue Mountain Eye 44 65.4 26.2 15 1048 death 2900 Total dairy, 145-item FF1 (validated) CVD mortality, CHD mortality; Age, sex, total energy, baseline
Study, Australia (548 from CVD, 432 from CHD) High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy Australian National Death Index BMI, change in weight during follow up, physical activity level (METs), previous acute myocardial infarction, previous stroke, smoking status, stage II hypertension, type 2 diabetes status, use of antihypertensive medication, use of statins and change in dairy intake
Ruesten et al. [33] EPIC-Potsdam Study; German 39 50 8 363 CVD 23,531 High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, High-fat cheese, Low-fat cheese FFQ (validated) CVD (fatal and non-fatal); self-administered follow-up questionnaires and medically verified Age, sex, smoking status, pack-years of smoking, alcohol consumption, leisure-time physical activity, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, prevalent hypertension at baseline, history of high blood lipid levels at baseline, education, vitamin supplementation and total energy intake
Van Aerde et al. [32] The Hoorn Study; 43.8 61.1 26.5 12.4 403 1956 Total 92-item FFQ All-cause Age, sex, BMI,
Netherlands death (116 from CVD, 50 from CHD) Dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, Milk, Fermented dairy, Cheese (validated) Mortality, fatal CVD, fatal CHD; General practitioners and the local hospital Smoking, educational level, total energy intake, alcohol consumption, physical activity and intake of meat, fish, bread, vegetables, fruit, coffee, and tea
Patterson et al. [30] Swedish Mammography cohort, Sweden 0 61.2 24.9 11.6 1392 MI 33,636 Total dairy, Milk, Fermented dairy, Low-fat fermented dairy, High-fat fermented dairy, Cheese 96-item semi quantitative FFQ (validated) Incident cases of MI (fatal and nonfatal); Registry and record linkage Smoking status, physical activity, waist-to-hip ratio, alcohol consumption, diagnosis of hypertension, diagnosis of high cholesterol, family history of myocardial infarction, education, aspirin usage, hormone therapy usage, energy intake, all other dairy food groups, fruit and vegetables and whole-grain foods, use of oils in cooking, and use of low-fat margarine on bread
Huang et al. [35] Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan, Taiwan 35.6 22.9 13.7 444 death (87 from CVD) 3810 Total dairy FFQ (validated) All-cause mortality, CVD mortality; National death registration Age, gender, BMI, region, ethnicity, education level, marriage, history of disease (cardiovascular disease and/or cancer), smoking, drinking, chew betel nut, and supplement use, overall Dietary Index–Revised (dairy score excluded), Calcium intake, vitamin D intake
Haring et al. [34] Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study; USA 44.2 53.8 27.1 22 1147 CHD 12,066 Total dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy FFQ (unvalidated) CHD (fatal and non-fatal); study visits, yearly telephone follow-up calls, review of hospital discharge lists and medical charts, death certificates, next-of-kin interviews, and physician-completed questionnaires Age, sex, race, study centre, total energy intake, smoking, education, systolic blood pressure, use of antihypertensive medication, HDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, use of lipid lowering medication, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, alcohol intake, sports-related physical activity, leisure-related physical activity, carbohydrate intake, fibre intake, and magnesium intake
Michaelsson et al. [6] Swedish Mammography Cohort, Sweden/Cohort of Swedish Men, Sweden 0/100 53.7/60.3 24.7/25.8 20.1/11.2 15,541 death (5278 death from CVD)/10,112 death (4568 death from CVD) 61,433/45,339 Milk, Cheese, Fermented dairy FFQ (validated) All-cause mortality and CVD mortality; Swedish cause of death registries Age, body mass index, height, total energy intake, total alcohol intake, healthy dietary pattern, calcium and vitamin D supplementation, ever use of cortisone, educational level, living alone, physical activity level estimated as metabolic equivalents, smoking status, and Charlson’s comorbidity index; and in women additionally for use of oestrogen replacement therapy and nulliparity
Bergholdt et al. [36] Copenhagen General Population Study; Denmark 12 56.7 5.4 2777 IHD 74,965 Milk Self-reported questionnaire IHD (fatal and nonfatal); National DANISH Patient Registry Age, sex, physical activity in leisure time and at work, smoking, alcohol intake, use of lipid-lowering therapy, fruit, vegetables, fish, fast food, and soda drinks
Praagman et al. [37] the Rotterdam Study, Netherlands 38 66.9 26.2 17.3 567 CHD (350 fatal) 4235 Total dairy, High-fat dairy, Low-fat dairy, Fermented dairy, Cheese, Yogurt FFQ (validated) Total CHD and fatal CHD; medical record and digital record linkage Age, gender, and total energy intake, BMI, smoking, education level, and alcohol intake, intakes of vegetables, fruit, meat, bread, fish coffee, and tea
Praagman et al. [38] EPIC-Netherlands cohort 57 48.9 25.6 15 2436 death (727 from CVD, 253 from CHD) 34,409 Fermented dairy, Yogurt, Cheese FFQ (validated) All-cause mortality, CVD mortality, CHD mortality; Record linkage and Central Agency for statistics Age, sex, total energy intake, smoking habit, BMI, physical activity, education level, hypertension at baseline, intakes of alcohol and energy-adjusted intakes of fruit and vegetables
Wang et al. [39] Japan Collaborative Cohort Study, Japan 42 56.8 22.7 (men); 22.9 (women) 19 21,775 death (6271 death from CVD) 94,980 Milk Self-administered questionnaires All-cause mortality and CVD mortality; The date and cause of death were confirmed with the permission of the Director-General of the Prime Minister’s Office Age categories, smoking status, drinking status, physical activity, sleeping duration, body mass index, education level, participation in health check-ups, green-leafy vegetable intake, and history of hypertension, diabetes, and liver disease

BMI body mass index, CVD cardiovascular disease, CHD coronary heart disease, FFQ food frequency questionnaire