A new study has shown that eating 42.5 gram cheese daily can actually be good for your heart and help to reduce your risk of stroke.
The Harvard Health Publishing, a review in 2023 published in the journal Advances in Nutrition compiled data from numerous observational studies focusing on cheese consumption’s impact on health.
The review deduced that eating an optimum amount of cheese – approximately 42.5 grams daily – was associated with a decreased risk of stroke, heart disease, and cardiovascular-related death.
Senior clinical nutritionist Emily Gelsomin, from Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, dubbed this “reassuring news for cheese lovers”. She elaborated that cheese production involves fermentation, a process harnessing beneficial microbes to transform lactose and proteins, yielding unique flavours.
Emily further mentioned that certain byproducts of fermentation could mitigate the negative effects of the sodium and saturated fat present in cheese.
She highlighted that bacteria in types of cheese like Cheddar, Parmesan and Asiago act on milk proteins to produce compounds akin to those found in ACE inhibitor blood pressure medications.
The fermentation process also produces vitamin K, which, according to Emily, helps slow the accumulation of harmful calcium deposits in the heart’s arteries and valves. Cheeses rich in vitamin K include Muenster, Camembert, and Edam.
Best cheeses for heart health
However, Emily noted that it’s challenging to determine whether one type of cheese is superior to another, primarily because this aspect hasn’t been extensively studied.
Emily highlighted that serving sizes vary among different cheeses, such as cottage cheese being four ounces, while Cheddar, Parmesan, or Swiss cheese is one ounce.
Some cheeses have lower saturated fat content than others. Mozzarella and goat’s cheese contain approximately 4g of saturated fat per ounce, whereas an ounce of Swiss, provolone, or cheddar has around 5g, as do soft cheeses like Brie and blue cheese.
Additionally, blue cheese, feta, and Parmesan have higher sodium levels than others.
Emily advised: “I wouldn’t want someone to look at a chart showing the nutrition breakdown of different cheeses and think they should avoid specific varieties.
“Those that are slightly higher in sodium or saturated fat, such as Parmesan, may have higher amounts of beneficial fermentation products.”
Finally, a word of caution – avoid processed cheese, often referred to as ‘American cheese,’ as it contains added ingredients like colourings and preservatives. While it’s not inherently harmful, it doesn’t provide the potential health perks that come with natural cheese.
Emily also pointed out that this applies to dairy-free or plant-based ‘cheese’ alternatives, which frequently include coconut oil, a source of high saturated fat.
