Full-Fat Cheese Has Many Health Benefits

By Dr. Mercola

Trading saturated fats for added sugars and trans fats in our diet is among the worst lifestyle alterations to occur in modern history. We now know this is a recipe for obesity, heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases.^1,²

Many of these illnesses are now showing up in children, who are exposed to these ingredients even prior to birth through their mothers’ diets.

The preponderance of research shows that once you reach 18 percent of your daily calories from added sugar, there’s a 200 percent increase in metabolic harm that promotes prediabetes and diabetes.³

Fortunately, the low-fat recommendation — which flourished as a result of flawed science linking heart disease with saturated fat and the suppression of research showing sugar was to blame — is finally, albeit slowly, starting to lose its stronghold.

While still not ideal, the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans^4,⁵ do recognize that reducing TOTAL fat intake has no bearing on obesity or heart disease risk. Instead, the guidelines rightfully warn that sugar and refined grains are the primary culprits.

Unfortunately, the guidelines fall far short by still suggesting a 10 percent limit on saturated fats specially.

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Harmful fats found in fried foods are another factor driving disease rates skyward. Fried foods are particularly bad for your heart and cardiovascular health, raising your risk for heart failure.⁶

Meanwhile, research has consistently demonstrated that low-fat diets do not prevent heart disease. It’s actually trans fat and oxidized cholesterol — not saturated fat and healthy dietary cholesterol — that clog your arteries.⁷

Research Exonerates High-Fat Cheese

Cheese has long been demonized for its saturated fat content, but as the saturated fat myth has come under increasing scrutiny, this food may soon experience a revival as well.

Many recent studies into the health effects of cheese have come to exonerating conclusions. As Joanna Maricato, an analyst at New Nutrition Business stated last year:⁸

“In the past, studies focused on analyzing individual nutrients and their effects on the body. Now, there is a growing tendency to look at foods and food groups as a whole …

As a consequence, amazing results are appearing from studies on dairy and particularly cheese, proving that the combination of nutrients in cheese has many promising health benefits that were never considered in the past.”

Most recently, a Danish research team concluded that eating high-fat cheese helps improve your health by raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.^9,¹⁰Higher HDL levels are thought to be protective against metabolic diseases and heart disease.

Nearly 140 adults were enrolled in the 12-week study to investigate the biological effects of full-fat cheese. Divided into three groups, the first two groups were told to eat either 80 grams of high-fat or reduced fat cheese each day. The third group ate 90 grams of bread and jam each day, with no cheese.

None of the groups saw any significant changes in their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, but the high-fat cheese group increased their HDLs.

Other Studies Supporting Full-Fat Cheese Consumption

Other recent research¹¹ showed that cheese consumption helps prevent fatty liver and improves triglyceride and cholesterol levels — parameters used to gauge your cardiovascular disease risk. Studies have also found that full-fat cheese can be useful for weight management.¹²

For example, in a study published last year, researchers found that cheese helps ramp up metabolism, thereby reducing your obesity risk.¹³

People who ate cheese or dairy on a regular basis, compared to those whose only dairy consumption was butter, had higher levels of butyric acid, a short-chained fatty acid associated with lower cholesterol levels, higher metabolism and lower risk for obesity.¹⁴

Roquefort cheese, in particular, has been linked to cardiovascular health and improved longevity, courtesy of its anti-inflammatory properties.^15,¹⁶ Cheese — especially when made from the milk of grass-pastured animals — is also an excellent source of several nutrients that are important for health, including:

High-quality protein and amino acids
High-quality saturated fats and omega-3 fats
Vitamins and minerals, including calcium, zinc, phosphorus, vitamins A, D, B2 (riboflavin) and B12
Vitamin K2 (highest amounts can be found in Gouda, Brie, Edam. Other cheeses with lesser, but significant, levels of K2: Cheddar, Colby, hard goat cheese, Swiss, and Gruyere)
CLA (conjugated linoleic acid), a powerful cancer-fighter and metabolism booster

Eat REAL Cheese

Even if you’re lactose intolerant, there are many kinds of cheese you will likely tolerate as most of the lactose is removed during the cheese making process. There is a major difference between natural cheese and processed “cheese foods” however.

Natural cheese is a simple fermented dairy product made with just a few basic ingredients — milk, starter culture, salt and an enzyme called rennet. Salt is a crucial ingredient for flavor, ripening, and preservation.

You can tell a natural cheese by its label, which will state the name of the cheese variety, such as “cheddar cheese,” “blue cheese” or “brie.” Real cheese also requires refrigeration. Processed cheese are typically pasteurized and otherwise adulterated with a variety of additives that detract from their nutritional value.

The tipoff on the label is the word “pasteurized.” A lengthier list of ingredients is another way to distinguish processed cheese from the real thing. Velveeta is one example, with additives like sodium phosphate, sodium citronate and various coloring agents.

A final clue is that most processed cheeses do not require refrigeration. So, be it Velveeta, Cheese Whiz, squeeze cheese, spray cheese or some other imposter — these are NOT real cheeses and have no redeeming value.

Raw Cheese From Pasture-Raised Animals Is Best

Taking real cheese a step further, opt for cheese made from raw grass-fed milk (i.e., milk from cows raised on pasture, rather than grain-fed or soy-fed animals confined to feedlots).

The biologically appropriate diet for cows is grass, but 90 percent of standard grocery store cheeses are made from the milk of cows raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), which must then be pasteurized before it can be made into cheese.

CAFO milk cannot be safely consumed without pasteurization due to the increased likelihood of contamination with harmful bacteria, which are prevalent in these crowded, unsanitary settings.

Not only does raw cheese have a richer flavor than cheese made from pasteurized milk (as heat destroys enzymes and good bacteria that add flavor to the cheese), grass-fed dairy products are also nutritionally superior:¹⁷

•Cheese made from the milk of grass-fed cows has the ideal omega-6 to the omega-3 fat ratio of 2-to-1.

By contrast, the omega-6 to the omega-3 ratio of grain-fed milk is heavily weighted on the side of omega-6 fats (25-to-1), which are already excessive in the standard American diet. Grass-fed dairy combats inflammation in your body, whereas grain-fed dairy contributes to it.

•The milk from grass-fed cows contains three to five times more CLA than that from grain-fed animals.^18,¹⁹ Grass-fed cheese will, therefore, contain far higher amounts of this potent anti-cancer compound as well.

•Because raw cheese is not pasteurized, natural enzymes in the milk are preserved, increasing its nutritional punch.

•Grass-fed cheese is considerably higher in calcium, magnesium, beta-carotene, and vitamins A, C, D and E.

•Organic grass-fed cheese is free of antibiotics and growth hormones.

Full-Fat Dairy Linked to Lower Diabetes Risk

Full-Fat Cheese Has Many Health Benefits

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