I don’t know if there’s anything I find more enjoyable than sitting down to a snack or meal containing a ton of cheese. From cheddar and mozzarella to brie and feta, I’m all for the salty, creamy, gooey stuff. If you’re like me, you may be pleased to know that a study published in the medical journal The Lancet has suggested that eating cheese could possibly help you live longer.
- The study was pretty extensive. For the study, researchers looked closely at the eating habits of more than 130,000 people from 21 different countries. Participants were between the ages of 35 and 70, which is a pretty wide range and gave some solid data for the scientists to work with. They looked separately at full-fat dairy consumption in comparison to low-fat counterparts to see how both affected overall health.
- More dairy = better cardiovascular health. The study determined that eating more than two servings of dairy every day had a positive effect on heart health, showing less incidences of cardiovascular disease and stroke, which his pretty promising!
- Sadly, it’s not all about the cheese. While cheese does have a slightly positive effect on the heart, the study showed that in comparison to milk and yogurt, the effect of cheese on cardiovascular health was minimal. Still, I’m going to take that “slightly” and run with it. Butter intake wasn’t high in any of the participants, so that isn’t taken into account here, though given dairy’s overall benefit, there’s no harm in a tablespoon or two here or there.
- These findings could be a game-changer. According to Ian Givens, a professor of food chain nutrition at Reading University in the UK, studies showing that full-fat dairy has a positive impact on heart health could also have a carryover effect on general dietary advice given to the public. “It also adds weight to the evidence that saturated fats from dairy [probably apart from butter] are not associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, unlike some other sources,” he told Newsweek.
- Of course, it’s important to have everything in moderation. Having a diet that consists of 80% cheese probably isn’t a good idea, but there’s nothing to say that you can’t add a little in here and there. Hey, science says it’s okay!
