A new English study confirms cheese is not bad for your health at all. Cheese and other full-fat dairy stuff do not cause heart problems or cardiovascular disease.
When people talk about healthy eating, more often than not, cheese and other Dairy Products, do not always automatically come to mind. Now, a new study shows why we may have to include dairy, even full-fat ones, in our diet.
Cheese is not bad for the heart
Contrary to popular belief, cheese, milk and yogurt, and other full-fat dairy products are not linked to either Heart Attack or stroke.
Researchers from England analyzed 29 previous studies which looked into the link between heart problems or cardiovascular diseases and dairy products. What they found was, dairy products do not increase heart disease risks, and only have a “neutral” impact on our health. The result of the study is published in European Journal of Epidemiology.
Misconception about saturated fat
Ian Givens, one of the authors of the study, and a professor of food chain nutrition at Reading University said that people would think that dairy products, in general, are bad for our health. And that in the last five to 10 years, many believe that saturated fats increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but they don't, the study claims.
The National Diet and Nutrition Survey confirmed that saturated fat is an important part of the diet. However, many consumers have switched to low-fat versions of most dairy products because of the belief that full-fat products are not healthy.
Givens said that a lot of young people, especially females, are currently not drinking enough milk because of concerns about heart problems or cardiovascular diseases.
Additionally, researchers said that fermented dairy products might actually possibly slightly lower the risk of heart attack or stroke. But, just how sure are the researchers about their findings of the benefits of cheese and other full-fat products? They say that their analysis includes a large number of participants and that they are confident that the results are "robust and accurate."
Health organizations and the government still suggest watching your dairy consumption, though.
A spokesperson for Public Health England said that they would still recommend lower-fat options of milk and other dairy food, or to reduce saturated fat and salt consumption in one's diet, they suggest eating in smaller amounts of this dairy food.
