Gruyère

What gruyère has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

1 Limited
1 Insufficient

Blood lipid profileHeart Health · 4 sourcesLimited— jump to the detail and sources
Bone mineral densityBone Health · no source yetInsufficient— jump to the detail and sources

3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About gruyère

A hard cooked-curd cheese from the Swiss Alps, in which the curd is heated in the vat before pressing and the wheel is then ripened for months to years. The technique was developed to make cheese that survives storage and transport.

Also known as Gruyere, Alpine cheese, Swiss mountain cheese

Heart Health Bone Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health

Limited evidence

Some controlled trials report that hard cheese raises LDL cholesterol less than an equal amount of butter fat, an effect attributed to the cheese matrix rather than to any particular cheese. It is still a saturated-fat-rich food, and the comparison that matters clinically is against unsaturated oils.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

4 sources

Effect of cheese consumption on blood lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.(opens in a new tab)
Meta-analysis · Nutrition reviews · 2015 · PMID 26011901
Effect of Isoenergetic Substitution of Cheese with Other Dairy Products on Blood Lipid Markers in the Fasted and Postprandial State: An Updated and Extended Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials in Adults.(opens in a new tab)
Meta-analysis · Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2023 · PMID 37717700
Milk and dairy consumption and risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality: dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.(opens in a new tab)
Meta-analysis · European journal of epidemiology · 2017 · PMID 28374228
The impact of sex and the cheese matrix on cholesterol metabolism in middle-aged adults.(opens in a new tab)
Randomised controlled trial · Atherosclerosis · 2025 · PMID 39923541

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Bone mineral density

Bone Health

Insufficient evidence

Evidence is limited for aged cheese specifically and bone. Hard cheese is calcium-dense, but the bone literature is about dairy intake as a whole and mostly observational.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Gruyère

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
Nutrient	Amount	% DV
Macronutrients
Calories	413 kcal	21%
Protein	29.8 g	60%
Total fat	32.3 g	41%
Carbohydrate	0.36 g	0%
Fibre	0 g	0%
Total sugars	0.36 g	—
Water	33.2 g	—
Fats
Saturated fat	18.9 g	95%
Monounsaturated fat	10 g	—
Polyunsaturated fat	1.73 g	—
Cholesterol	110 mg	37%
EPA (omega-3)	0 g	—
DHA (omega-3)	0 g	—
DPA (omega-3)	0 g	—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)	1.3 g	—
Vitamins
Vitamin A	271 µg	30%
Vitamin C	0 mg	0%
Vitamin D	0.6 µg	3%
Vitamin E	0.28 mg	2%
Vitamin K	2.7 µg	2%
Thiamin (B1)	0.06 mg	5%
Riboflavin (B2)	0.279 mg	21%
Niacin (B3)	0.106 mg	1%
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.562 mg	11%
Vitamin B6	0.081 mg	5%
Folate	10 µg	3%
Vitamin B12	1.6 µg	67%
Choline	15.4 mg	3%
Minerals
Calcium	1011 mg	78%
Iron	0.17 mg	1%
Magnesium	36 mg	9%
Phosphorus	605 mg	48%
Potassium	81 mg	2%
Sodium	714 mg	31%
Zinc	3.9 mg	35%
Copper	0.032 mg	4%
Manganese	0.017 mg	1%
Selenium	14.5 µg	26%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene	33 µg	—
Alpha-carotene	0 µg	—
Lycopene	0 µg	—
Lutein + zeaxanthin	0 µg	—
Caffeine	0 mg	—
Ash	4.3 g	—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Cheese, gruyere (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 171242).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

fermentedReduces lactose
Months of ripening leave essentially no lactose, which is why hard alpine cheeses are usually well tolerated in lactose intolerance.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

Allergy
Cow milk protein allergy
A major regulated allergen; long ripening does not change that.
Interaction
Tyramine and MAO inhibitors
Long-aged alpine cheeses are high in tyramine, which can cause a hypertensive reaction in people taking non-selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
Too much
Energy, saturated fat and salt density
Hard cheese has had most of its water removed, so fat, salt and calories are all concentrated per gram compared with fresh cheese.