The study everyone has been waiting for reveals five incredible health advantages of cheese. Yes! You read it right. Cheese may be healthy for you. According to conventional wisdom, cheese is largely unhealthy due to its high saturated fat content. However, more recent studies doubt the association between saturated fat and heart disease. In addition, eating cheese has been linked to several health advantages. Here are five advantages of cheese for health.
Good Facts about Cheese
- Cuts Your Heart Disease Risk
The so-called French Paradox, in which French people have low rates of heart disease despite their love of cheese and other saturated fat-rich foods like butter, is thought by some academics to be explained by cheese. Then there is a 2016 study that related the number of dairy people consumed to whether they got cardiovascular disease. It analyzed data from 31 prospective cohort studies (those that follow people throughout their lives).
One noteworthy discovery was that consuming roughly 2 ounces of cheese each day—1 ounce is equal to a 1-inch cube—was linked to an 18% lower risk of heart disease. The author’s study published in the British Journal of Nutrition speculate that vitamins like riboflavin and B12, as well as minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium, may be involved. Another important discovery is that as little as 1/2 ounce of cheese per day can reduce stroke risk by 13%.
- Fends Off Diabetes
According to a review of cohort studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eating 1 3/4 ounces of cheese daily may reduce the risk of diabetes type 2 by 8%. Additionally, it was discovered that those who consumed roughly 3/4 cup yogurt daily had an even lower risk. According to a different study published in AJCN, women who consumed less than 2 ounces of cheese had a lower chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
In addition, cheese’s short-chain saturated fats have been linked with a decreased incidence of type 2 diabetes. Researchers also believe that calcium, which boosts insulin secretion and may lessen insulin resistance, may help to prevent the condition. Additionally, whey proteins might be involved since they improve insulin sensitivity.
- Helps You Dodge Death
A 2016 European Journal of Clinical Nutrition study states that eating cheese may lengthen your life. The study monitored 960 French men for over 15 years to see whether the foods they consumed had any bearing on when they passed away. A daily intake of around 2 ounces of cheese was linked to a 38 percent lower risk of passing away during the study. The researchers speculate that calcium’s capacity to prevent fat absorption in the intestines or its impact on decreasing blood pressure may be involved.
- Improves Your Cholesterol
A regular cheese snack may help you maintain a healthy cholesterol level. People with blood cholesterol following a recommended diet that includes butter or cheese were compared in a 2015 study of randomized controlled trials published in Nutrition Reviews. The cheese eaters finished their study with lower total and LDL cholesterol than their butter-eating colleagues, even though both diets had roughly the same amount of saturated fat and calories.
Their “good” HDL cholesterol was lower than what you wanted. The changes in cholesterol may be brought on by calcium’s capacity to transport fat through your intestines, preventing you from absorbing it and the calories it contains. Vitamin K2, which can be found in cheese and other fermented dairy products, may also be important.
- Makes You Stronger
For healthy adults over 60, eating about a cup of ricotta cheese every day for 12 weeks increased muscle growth and enhanced balance. The milk proteins casein and whey may have sparked the improvement, according to the author’s study, which published their findings in the 2014 edition of Clinical Interventions in Aging.