Role of the Matrix on the Digestibility of Dairy Fat and Health Consequences

Dairy products are basic products largely consumed in the population, from human milk which is the perfect meal for the newborn to a large variety of dairy products from cow and other mammalians. Dairy products consumption has been recommended for its richness in valuable nutrients, but some research some 30 years ago raised concern on dairy lipid possible health impacts. Since then, the scientific community has tried to decipher the intricate parameters of lipid metabolism in response to lipids varying in composition, structure, food source, in a meal, in a diet, etc. In this chapter, the knowledge coming from epidemiologic studies will be first reviewed to reveal the possible factors that should be studied to understand the lipid travel in the food and in the human body after consumption of different dairy matrices, in order to try to understand their physiological role and health impact. Recent knowledge on how the dairy matrix impacts lipid digestion and metabolism will be reviewed, with a particular emphasis on the knowledge gained from newly developed in vitro models of human digestion.