The use of Milk Fat Globule Membrane in lowering blood lipid levels in adults: results from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of mortality worldwide, with impaired lipids levels being a significant risk factor (1) . This meta-analysis provides comprehensive insights on the impact of bovine dairy-derived milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) supplementation on blood lipid profiles in adults. A systematic search was conducted across various databases (including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, ACS Publications, Academic Search Index, BMJ Journals, BNP Media, and others) up until March 2024, resulting in the inclusion of six trials with a total of 464 participants. The findings indicate that MFGM phospholipid supplementation may significantly reduce total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. A combined analysis of the effects on TC, LDL and triglycerides (TG) revealed a significant overall reduction in these markers (SMDs = −0.174; 95% CI: −0.328~−0.021; p = 0.026; I 2 = 0%). However, no significant increase or reduction was observed for high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (SMDs = 0.019; 95% CI: −0.289~0.326; p = 0.906; I 2 = 95.5%) and TG levels (SMDs = −0.083; 95% CI: −0.198~0.033; p = 0.160; I 2 = 0%). Overall, these results suggest that MFGM supplementation could be a promising dietary intervention for improving lipid profiles in adults. Nonetheless, further research is warranted to confirm these results and to better understand the potential variability in the impact of MFGM on blood lipid levels.