Regular Cheese Consumption Could Reduce Heart Disease Risk

Consuming 40 grams of cheese per day might reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a meta-analysis.

The researchers identified 15 prospective studies that had a duration of more than 10 years and excluded participants with CVD at baseline. They calculated the summary relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals using random-effects models.
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In a comparison of high vs low cheese consumption, the summary RRs were 0.90 (95 % CI 0.82–0.99) for total CVD, 0.86 (95 % CI 0.77–0.96) for coronary heart disease, and 0.90 (95 % CI 0.84–0.97) for stroke.

Additionally, the researchers found evidence of a nonlinear relationship between cheese intake and risk for total CVD and stroke in restricted cubic models. Individuals who consumed approximately 40 g of cheese per day were found to have the largest reduction in risks.

“This meta-analysis of prospective studies suggests a nonlinear inverse association between cheese consumption and risk of CVD,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Chen GC, Wang Y, Tong X, et al. Cheese consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. Eur J Nutr. 2017;56(8): 2565-2575. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-016-1292-z.