Is cheese bad for your health?

Almost everyone loves a good vegemite and cheddar sandwich or brie with a glbad of wine.

And although most cheeses contain salt and saturated fats and calcium, so how many and what types should we eat?

The Conversation asked five experts if cheese is bad for our health – and the good news is, they all said no

Clare Collins – nutritionist

Unless you do not be part of the 4.5% of Australians allergic to cow's milk protein or dairy products, eating cheese can be good for health and is a great way to boost your protein, calcium and vitamins B12 ingestion [19659009] The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends two to three servings of dairy products per day (or four servings for women over 50), with a service equivalent to about 40 grams (about A box of matches) complete fat or reduce fat cheese d. The reduced fat option helps reduce your total kilojoule consumption.

Regarding the specific risks to cardiovascular health, the question of whether eating fat or lightened has not been sufficiently taken into account. A review published in 2018 identified four studies that examined cheese consumption and found a lower risk of heart disease than the increase in cheese consumption. Having moderate amounts of cheese regularly is consistent with good health.

Evangeline Mantzioris – Dietitian

Cheese contains a variety of nutrients that must be taken into account. Most of the components – calcium, protein and saturated fats – are also present in other dairy products.

Calcium is important in reducing the risk of osteoporosis and proteins are needed for tissue synthesis and repair. Both of these provide obvious benefits to our health. Saturated fat in cheese is more controversial in terms of its role in the development of heart disease. But the consensus of the big studies is that cheese is neutral – that is to say that it has no positive or negative effect.

Cheese is also a fermented food, containing bacteria or yeasts, which contribute to the health of microbiomes. But remember, a cheese service (40g) has about 500-650kj, so stick to the instructions for eating three servings of dairy products a day and including some of them as cheese – if you're not. ; like. If you are trying to reduce weight or having an existing heart condition, consult your doctor.

Rebecca Reynolds – nutritionist

Cheese is a good food. This is an important source of beneficial nutrients for omnivores and vegetarians, such as calcium. A third of Australians eat cheese – mainly hard cheeses like cheddar cheese.

Dairy products and their substitutes (such as soy cheese) are a food group recommended in the Australian Dietary Guidelines. people over the age of 18 are consuming reduced-fat alternatives (such as reduced-fat cheddar cheese); This advice is given because fat is a high energy nutrient and many of us are overweight, and because a lot of the fat in cheese is the "bad" saturated fat. . But there is some evidence to suggest that dairy products are neutral or beneficial to heart health – including whole fat products.

Cheese is also high in protein, which our body needs. Some negative aspects of cheese include its higher salt content, the risk of food poisoning of certain varieties for pregnant women and the ethical aspects involved in its production (welfare of cows and steers, emissions of greenhouse gases). greenhouse gas and fair compensation for dairy farmers). 19659009]

Regina Belski – Dietician

Cheese can be a healthy part of the diet, but not all cheeses are created equal and we do not need to eat a whole wheel of brie in one sitting. According to The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating a service is about 40g of hard cheese like cheddar and about half a cup of ricotta.

The next time you're at the supermarket, look at the back of three different cheeses and see what you actually eat: What are the ingredients? How much sodium, saturated fat and calcium does it contain? Then choose the best of three choices – more calcium, less sodium, less saturated fat – and enjoy in moderation.

Yutang Wang – Biomedical Scientist

Cheese is one of the oldest foods for humans. of our diet for several thousand years. Cheese is rich in proteins and fats, which provide important building blocks (amino acids and fatty acids) for our body. It also contains many other important ingredients, including vitamins and minerals, all of which are necessary to maintain good health.

Up to now, there is no study showing cheese consumption is badociated with heart disease. Although industrial trans fats increase the risk of heart disease, natural trans fats in cheese are not. Although cheese contains saturated fats, we are not sure that this is what blocks the arteries.

Even though cheese is not bad for us, we should avoid it if we travel to countries where pasteurization is not applied.

Alexandra Hansen is the editor of the Health + Medicine section of The Conversation, where this article was first published. See full profiles of contributing experts in the original Conversation article.