Dublin: Until now, it was thought that cholesterol-rich cheese could affect cardiovascular health, but a new study suggests that cheese has positive effects on heart, stomach and brain health, while it may even prevent type 2 diabetes.
Researchers at the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology in Obo, Japan examined the health and eating habits of more than 1,500 people over the age of 65.
Experts said that people whose diet consisted of cheese on a regular basis scored better on a brain test.
But when it comes to cardiovascular health, in the past it was believed that the saturated fat in cheese increases the bad cholesterol in our blood, but a study has revealed the opposite.
Under the guidance of Assistant Professor Dr. Emma Fyne from University College Dublin, 164 people over the age of 50 were conducted a six-week study. Cholesterol levels were slightly higher in these individuals. They were divided into three groups and fed 42 grams of dairy fat per day.
One group was given this fat in the form of 120 grams of cheddar, another in the form of butter and low-fat cheddar, and the third group in the form of a cheese-like ingredient (ie, butter, calcium supplement and calcium caseinate powder).
The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that the group that was given full-fat cheese had a greater reduction in total cholesterol and bad cholesterol than the other two groups.
Dr. Emma Feeney believes that the mold of the cheese and the way the fat stays in the mold is important.
The fatty acids in cheese are thought to bind with calcium, making it harder for our enzymes to break them down when they’re in the cheese mold, he said. This means that saturated fat enters the bloodstream when it is in cheese.
On the other hand, some experts also say that cheese does not increase the level of sugar in the blood, so diabetics can also eat it.
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