Eating cheese every day may help to protect heart health

Your doctor will never come up with a diet protocol so don't even bother asking for one. This is too dangerous to do on your own, so don't even think about it.  Maybe Grana Padano cheese.
Study: Aged Cheese Lowers Blood Pressure

Eating cheese every day may help to protect heart health

Cheese is undoubtedly one of our favorite foods. In 2015, the population of the United States consumed the equivalent of 37.1 pounds of cheese per person, with cheddar and mozzarella being the most popular choices.

While cheese contains some nutrients that are beneficial to health—such as calcium, zinc, and vitamins A and B12—it is also high in saturated fats, which can increase cholesterol levels and raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The new study, however, suggests that this popular dairy product could have the opposite effect on cardiovascular health.

CVD risk reduced by up to 18%

For their study, Qin and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 15 observational studies that investigated how cheese consumption influenced the total risk of CVD, as well as the risks of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.

In total, the studies included more than 200,000 participants, and the effects of cheese intake were monitored for more than 10 years. The majority of studies included subjects who were free of CVD at study baseline.

The analysis revealed that people who regularly consumed cheese were up to 18% less likely to develop CVD, up to 14% less likely to develop CHD, and up to 10% less likely to have a stroke, compared with those who had a low cheese intake.

The scientists report that these effects were strongest among participants who consumed around 40 grams, or 1.41 ounces, of cheese every day. In conclusion, they write:

"This meta-analysis of prospective studies suggests a nonlinear inverse association between cheese consumption and risk of CVD."

Be cautious

The team's findings build on those of a widely publicized observational analysis that was published earlier this year, which linked cheese and other dairy products to a reduced risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.

But don't stock up on the cheddar just yet; both studies have their own limitations. Importantly, they are observational, so they do not prove a causal association between cheese intake and better cardiovascular health.

What's more, both studies have links to the dairy industry; the earlier study received funding from the Global Dairy Platform, Dairy Research Institute, and Dairy Australia, while the latest study was conducted with the help of researchers from the Yili Group, a dairy company based in China.

However, it is hard to conclude whether these associations had any influence on the study results.

Until additional studies confirm such findings, it is important to remember that cheese is high in saturated fats, which can be harmful to heart health in high amounts.

The American Heart Association recommend that around 5–6% of our daily calories should come from saturated fats and to switch to low-fat dairy products to help stay within this limit.

—Honor Whiteman