People who ate regular cheese had higher levels of good cholesterol than those who chose low fat options, a study found.
Here is the surprising case for regular cheese.
Eating it results in the same amount of bad cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein, as consuming skinnier options. This causes heart disease.
But, you get a stronger dose of high-density lipoprotein, that is good for health, according to a recent study.
The latter transports cholesterol away from cells in the body. Instead, cholesterol is brought to the liver where it is broken down, or passed out as waste.
The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers divided 139 participants into three groups. One ate regular cheese, the other low fat cheese and the last group avoided it altogether.
The first two groups had to consume 80g of cheese every day. According to Food & Wine Magazine, that is slightly more than half a cup of grated cheddar.
The impact of cheese on health
At the end of 12 weeks, researchers found that the cheese-eating groups showed no significant difference in their levels of bad cholesterol.
There were also no notable variations in blood pressure, quantity of insulin and glucose, and even measurements of a participant’s waist.
But those who consumed regular cheese had more good cholesterol in their systems. This prevents atherosclerosis, a disease where fats are deposited on the inner walls of arteries. It has been linked to heart attacks and strokes.
“Many people commonly believe that when trying to lose weight, dairy products are key foods that they have to cut out of their diet as they are high in fat,” said Dr Wendy Chan from the Curtin University of Technology.
“Diets containing high levels of protein, calcium and vitamin D, among other bioactive nutrients can be an important part of a prudent weight loss or weight maintenance diet,” Dr Chan, who was not involved in the study, told The Telegraph.
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