Cheese Intake,CLA and Hypercholesterolemia

Inclusion Criteria: * Adult volunteers with diagnosed mild hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol 220-290 mg/dL) Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant (or those planning to become pregnant during the study period) and lactating women * Also individuals with a self-reported history of diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, gallbladder or biliary disease in the past 12 months, and lactose intolerance before the screening visit. * Those with a history of cancer (except non-melanoma skin cancer) in the 2 years before screening, or of any major trauma or surgical event within 3 months before screening. * Volunteers with the following characteristics were also excluded: * total cholesterol ≥300 mg/dL, serum triglycerides ≥250 mg/dL or ≤ 200 mg/dL, \*HDL ≥70mg/dL, BMI ≥ 30 * uncontrolled hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥160 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≥100 mm Hg) at screening. * Use of lipid-altering medications or supplements, and of anticoagulants, during the 2 weeks before screening and throughout the study was prohibited. * Furthermore, we selected subjects with an Apo E aplotype 3/3, the most common in Sardinia, in order to avoid any variability in cholesterolemia due to a different dietary response.