Cheese May Not Be Harmful to Heart Health

It’s no secret that we Americans love our cheese. From mozzarella to Cheddar, the average American eats more than 42 pounds of cheese every year. But cheese tends to be loaded with saturated fat, and too much saturated fat has been connected with increased LDL (“harmful”) cholesterol and heart disease risk—so what is eating so much cheese doing to our health?

Importantly, not all saturated fats are created equal. There are seven primary types of saturated fats in our food, all made of varying lengths—or chains—of carbon atoms. Research suggests that long-chain fatty acids may be more harmful to our health than medium-chain and short-chain fatty acids, which are more likely to have neutral effects on health.

Plus, there’s evidence that when cows are grass-fed, their beef contains a better fatty acid profile, featuring more medium- and short-chain fatty acids than cows that have been grain-fed. Researchers in Ireland wanted to know if those improvements to nutritional profile would extend to the dairy grass-fed cows produce, so they conducted an original study and published the results in the International Dairy Journal.

How Was This Study Conducted?

This study aimed to investigate whether full-fat Cheddar cheese made with dairy from grass-fed, pasture-based cows would affect markers of cardiometabolic health in overweight, middle-aged adults differently than the same cheese made with dairy from grain-fed cows.

Researchers chose 58 participants for this part of the study, and they were all over 50 years old, with an average age of 59 and a BMI of at least 25 kg/m-2, placing them in the overweight category. Researchers explain that they selected this population because the group is often advised to avoid consuming cheese due to its saturated fat content. Participants had no chronic comorbidities or dairy intolerances, and they all consumed an omnivorous diet.

Researchers split participants into two groups, and both groups were given 120 grams of full-fat unmelted Cheddar cheese to eat each day. For six weeks, one group ate pasture-fed Cheddar every day, and the other ate total mixed ration (TMR) Cheddar every day. TMR feeding is a common strategy for feeding indoor herds in the United States, Europe and China. Researchers chose Cheddar cheese because it’s one of the most popular types of cheese in Ireland, where the research was undertaken.

Anthropometric data was collected for each participant, including weight, height, BMI, body fat percentage and waist and hip circumference. Other measurements included blood pressure, blood lipids—including cholesterol and triglycerides—and blood glucose (sugar). Participants also completed a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and again at the end of the study.

What Did This Study Find?

After statistical analyses were run, participants who ate the pasture-fed cheese for six weeks had lower levels of circulating saturated fatty acids. In addition, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations decreased in both groups at about the same levels. 

In a blood cholesterol test, however, the study found little difference between the two groups, and the researchers believe further studies with larger groups of participants should be done.

How Does This Apply to Real Life?

The American Heart Association recommends two to three servings of fat-free or low-fat dairy products daily But there is some evidence that full-fat dairy, including cheese, may also be a healthy and beneficial choice. 

Fat isn’t the only component in cheese that may affect heart health, though. Eating high amounts of sodium has been linked with high blood pressure, and sodium can be fairly high in some types of cheese. If you need to watch your sodium intake for your blood pressure or if your body tends to be sensitive to it, consider limiting your cheese intake to lower-sodium cheeses, like fresh mozzarella, Swiss, ricotta and mascarpone. 

It’s important to remember that the amount of cheese the participants in this study ate each day was a large amount—more than 4 ounces per day. One serving of cheese is about 1.5 ounces. If you choose to eat cheese, limit it to a serving or two at a time, depending on how often you eat it.

The Bottom Line

This study suggests that eating cheese from pasture-fed cows lowers the amount of saturated fatty acids in the blood when compared to grain-fed dairy. Both pasture-fed and grain-fed cheese appeared to lower LDL and total cholesterol levels. 

Eating cheese in moderation may not have the negative effects on heart health that scientists have historically believed, especially shorter-chain fatty acids. Until larger, long-term studies have been performed, if you choose to eat full-fat cheese, eat it in moderation. If you need to watch your salt intake, choose lower-sodium cheeses most of the time and use higher-sodium cheese, like Parmesan, more sparingly.

If you’re looking for ways to reduce your cholesterol levels, certain foods can help lower cholesterol levels, including salmon, oats, nuts, legumes and apples. Regular physical activity has also been shown to improve cholesterol levels. With small changes, you can still have your cheese and eat it, too—and still have healthy cholesterol levels.