There is great news for those who love dairy products: cheese protects the heart. A study from Australia claims that those who eat a diet rich in dairy products have a quarter less chance of developing heart disease.
Most of the research carried out claimed that milk and cheese were high in cholesterol and therefore were a danger to cardiovascular health. Recently instead another search he had denied that milk raises cholesterol levels.
Cheese protects the heart: the secret is the mix of nutrients it contains
The new study carried out by the George Institute for Global Health in Australia points out that dairy products contain other nutrients that have a protective effect on the heart. But there is more. They contain fewer preservatives, have no added sugar and salt, as happens with many other foods.
Dairy products contain many important nutrients, such as B vitamins. Some of them even the precious B12, which allows for a healthy nervous system and is used to make red blood cells.
Australian research: tens of thousands of people involved
Researchers at the Australian research center analyzed blood samples from 4,000 Swedish citizens who were around 60 years old. The team followed the study participants for 16 years. During this period they recorded all cardiovascular events and any deaths. They then compared the results with 17 other studies on the same topic involving 43,000 people from Great Britain, Denmark and the United States.
Cheese protects the heart: cardiovascular risk is lowered
The results showed that people who ate more dairy were 25% less likely to have heart problems than those who ate less. The research does not report which foods they ate. The results were published in the prestigious scientific journal Plos Medicine.
However, it is crucial to choose only healthy dairy products. In fact, scientific evidence indicates that the health impact of these foods mainly depends on what food we eat, rather than the fat content. Hard cheeses, such as Grana or Parmesan, are also to be preferred. Their physical and chemical matrix reduces the fat absorbed by our body.