Could cheese actually CUT cholesterol and be GOOD for your heart?

For years, cheese has been demonized and we have been told to limit our intake. The thinking was that cheese contains high amounts of saturated fat, which has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

But is cheese misunderstood? Some experts now believe that cheese’s distinctive ‘matrix’ (that is, its molecular structure and unique components) means that cheese may actually be beneficial to health.

Research even shows that cheese has a positive effect on heart, intestinal and cognitive health and may protect against type 2 diabetes.

One of the latest studies, published in the journal Nutrients, shows that eating cheese regularly is linked to better brain health in older people.

Researchers in Japan analyzed the diets of more than 1,500 people over 65: those who reported regularly eating cheese (any kind, and anything between once a week and every day) scored better on cognitive tests and had a lower risk of dementia, compared with those who did not consume it at all.

In addition, research presented at the American Society for Nutrition conference in July suggested that a type of probiotic (or “good” bacteria), Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, found naturally in parmesan cheese and yogurt, improves memory and brain function in older people with mild cognitive problems. disability, a precursor to dementia.

It is thought that the probiotic – given in drink form – rebalanced the gut microbiome, the bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in the digestive tract, and in turn affected brain function.

As James Goodwin, professor of physiology of aging at Loughborough University, explains, these gut microbes stimulate immune cells that send messages via nerves to the brain.

The gut microbiome also acts directly on the brain via the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the gut. And some chemicals made in the brain – including serotonin and dopamine – are also made in the gut.

‘Healthy gut, healthy brain,’ says Professor Goodwin, author of Supercharge Your Brain.

Cheese – and other dairy products, such as milk and yoghurt – help maintain microbiome diversity because they contain a variety of ‘good’ bacteria, with unpasteurized cheese, such as most blue cheese, containing a greater diversity of bacteria.

‘Cheese also contains high levels of anti-inflammatory molecules called oleamide and dehydroergosterol, which are exceptionally beneficial for the brain,’ adds Professor Goodwin.

When it comes to heart health, despite long-standing fears that saturated fats in cheese increase LDL cholesterol (or “bad” cholesterol) levels in our blood, recent research suggests the opposite. In 2018, Dr Emma Feeney, assistant professor at the Institute of Food and Health at University College Dublin, led a six-week study in which 164 over-50s with slightly elevated cholesterol levels were split into three groups and given 42 grams of dairy fat per day. day.

One group received this in the form of 120 grams of mature cheddar. Another in a combination of reduced-fat butter and cheddar, while a third group got it in the form of individual components that mimic cheese (butter, a calcium supplement and calcium caseinate powder, similar to the protein found in cheese).

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that the full-fat cheese group had a greater reduction in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol than the other two groups.

Dr. Feeney believes that the matrix of cheese and how the fat is retained within its structure is critical. ‘It’s thought that the fatty acids in cheese bind with the calcium in it, making it harder for our enzymes to break it down when it’s in the cheese structure than in butter,’ she says.

‘This means that less saturated fat enters the bloodstream when it is in cheese.

‘It is thought that some of the fat binds to calcium and forms ‘soaps’; these are not absorbed into the intestine and are removed through the feces.

‘There seems to be something special about the cheese matrix.’ The theory that calcium reduces fat absorption was supported by a follow-up study led by Dr Feeney and published earlier this year in the European Journal of Nutrition.

The seven participants consumed 8 ounces of high-calcium cheddar (made for the study) daily for two weeks and then the same amount of lower-calcium cheddar for the same amount of time.

The calcium-rich cheese led to a greater reduction in LDL cholesterol. Cheeses higher in calcium include ripe, hard, white cheese such as cheddar and parmesan; Ricotta is a cheese with a low calcium content.

One explanation, according to Dr Oliver Guttmann, consultant cardiologist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and Wellington Hospital in London, is that components in cheese known as sphingolipids may reduce the absorption of cholesterol from the intestines.

“There is a theory that you get a lot of good things from cheese, like beneficial microbes and nutrients, but also that the cheese itself may inhibit the absorption of the unhealthier elements,” he says.

Dr. Feeney is currently leading a study into whether changing the structure of cheese by melting it makes a difference to its impact on health.

It is thought that when cheese is heated, the fat droplets come together to form larger fat masses, making it easier for our enzymes to access them.

But while some experts focus on cheese’s matrix, others suggest that one of its components, the saturated fat that comes from dairy, may be beneficial in itself and even protect against type 2 diabetes.

‘Saturated fats are a whole range of substances, and those from dairy do not appear to have the same harmful impact as other saturated fats, such as processed fats,’ explains Dr Frankie Phillips, spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association.

While most fatty acids (building blocks of fat) have an even number of carbon atoms, dairy contains two unique odd-chain fatty acids – C15 and C17 – that are not found in other foods.

A large study – the EPIC-InterAct study, published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology in 2014 – looked at the diets of around 19,000 people in Europe.

Professor Jules Griffin – director of the Rowett Institute at the University of Aberdeen and a member of the research team – told Good Health that C15 and C17 were linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

Douglas Twenefour, head of care at Diabetes UK, says people with diabetes or who are at risk of developing the disease are advised to eat cheese and other dairy products.

‘We don’t fully know why cheese has a positive influence on type 2 diabetes, but one hypothesis from animal studies is that C15 and C17 are associated with reducing insulin resistance (where the body’s cells do not respond to the hormone, causing glucose to build up in the blood). can accumulate), which is essential for the development of the disease.’

For people with diabetes, cheese doesn’t raise blood sugar levels, so it’s a good food to eat, he adds.

Although Dr. Feeney wouldn’t recommend people eat the same amounts as participants in her studies, she says her research suggests that eating more than 30 grams of cheese per day (about the size of a matchbox) won’t have a negative impact on heart health, and may even be helpful.

She adds that her 2018 study found that those with the highest starting levels of cholesterol had the greater reductions, suggesting they could benefit most from including cheese in their diet.

“Unfortunately, these are the people who are still being told to rule it out,” she says.

Dr. Guttmann is more cautious. “Research shows that up to 30-40 grams a day is probably very good for you,” he says, adding that because cheese is high in salt and is an energy-dense food, it is more likely to lead to weight gain and eating more than doing this a few days a week can tip the balance in terms of health benefits.