New research has found eating a little bit of cheese might help when it comes to the number one leading cause of death - heart disease, as well as the fifth leading cause of death, which is a stroke.
15 studies with more than 200,000 were analyzed and researchers found those who ate roughly 40 grams of cheese a day lowered their risk for coronary heart disease by 14 percent and stroke by 10 percent.
Many types of cheese have high levels of probiotics which could lower inflammation. Cheese also has an unsaturated fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid which may affect cholesterol by lowering your bad LDL levels and raising the good HDL levels.
The researchers didn’t look at what type of cheese the participants ate and point out
This study did not find a cause-and-effect relationship. That means there could be other reasons why cheese lovers have lower risks for stroke and heart disease.
But if you’d like to add cheese to your daily diet, here are my prescriptions:
Partha’s RX:
1. If you’re at risk for heart disease or stroke, choose low-fat options. Low-fat is made with 2 percent milk and non-fat is made with skim milk.
2. Cheese products like cheese spread or American cheese are not categorized as cheese. They are processed products and contain flavor enhancers.
3. Eat cheese in moderation. 40 grams of cheese is a roughly the size of a matchbox and slightly more than an ounce serving.
4. Check the label for sodium levels. Some cheeses can be quite high and our total daily intake should be less than 1500 mg.
Cheese contains vitamins A, K and D along with calcium, zinc, magnesium and protein. These are all excellent for healthy bone development in kids and also helps with preventing osteoporosis in adults.
Adults should get about 1,000 mg of calcium a day and one ounce of cheese gives you roughly 20 percent.
Just eat it in moderation because of the saturated fats and sodium levels.
