People who eat the greatest amount of cheese do not have higher cholesterol, according to a new study.
Published from University College Dublin, the study found that amongst those who took part, people who eat the greatest amount of cheese did not have higher cholesterol levels, one of the main risk factors for heart disease.
This is compared to those who ate the lowest amount of cheese, despite suggestions that eating foods high in saturated fats like cheese can increase your risk.
The study comes after the Dairy Council explained that the public has been led to believe there are negative associations between dairy foods and cardiometabolic disease, particularly with respect to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Recently, there has been a shift in the evidence base seen over the past decade and new studies have shown that there is no association between milk and dairy foods and the risk of developing heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. In fact, some studies have even shown protective effects.
Erica Hocking, senior nutrition scientist with The Dairy Council said: “The public are often led to believe that milk and dairy, due to their saturated fat content, can play a part in developing health problems such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, but recent studies have shown that this is not the case.”
Promoting the health benefits of dairy is one way farmers can market their produce to survive future volatility, according to a leading dairy conference.
“We do not sell ourselves as a nation and there is very little realisation that we produce the highest quality milk in the world and have some of the highest standards in the world,” according to Mike Houghton at Andersons Consultants.
