Nutritionists often suggest the health benefits of cutting out dairy foods, but scientists may have discovered a reason to keep cheese in your diet.
According to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, cheese could actually be good for your heart.
Researchers University of Copenhagen in Denmark asked 139 adults to participate in a cheese eating test that was carried out over a 12 week period.
The participants were split into three groups; the first were asked to eat 80g of regular, high-fat cheese every day. The second consumed the same amount of cheese, but were given low-fat varieties.
The third group abstained from eating cheese at all, supplementing their 80g of dairy with carbohydrates instead.
Surprisingly, the researchers found that those who nibbled on high-fat cheeses each day had no change in their LDL cholesterol, insulin, blood sugar or triglyceride levels.
They also recorded no change to their blood pressure and waist circumference.
But the news gets better for cheese-lovers, as the high-fat eaters also saw positive changes to their health - their levels of good HDL cholesterol has risen, and researchers even concluded that eating all that cheese had given them protection against both cardiovascular and metabolic disease.
This isn't the first time that cheese has been proven to have health benefits. Recent studies have shown that it can help to balance out your gut flora, up your protein intake and lower the count of cavity-causing yeast in the mouth.
The news also comes after it was reported that eating cheese can trigger the same the same part of your brain as hard drugs - so it's no wonder we're all hooked.
Of course, cheese does contain high amounts of sodium and saturated fat - so scientists suggest enjoying it in moderation.
0 comments: