Gorging on cheese this Christmas could be no bad thing, in fact scientists believe it could be associated with a lower risk of dementia.
That’s according to a study that found people who ate 50 grams or more of high-fat cheese daily had a 13 per cent lower risk of dementia than those eating less than 15 grams daily.
Eating about two slices of cheddar, brie and gouda, which all contain more than 20 per cent fat, was found to be the optimal amount to reap the benefits.
Similarly, people who ate 20 grams or more of high-fat cream daily had a 16 per cent lower risk of dementia than those who consumed none.
But no association was found for low-fat dairy products, fermented milk, milk or butter.
“For decades, the debate over high-fat versus low-fat diets has shaped health advice, sometimes even categorising cheese as an unhealthy food to limit,” said Dr Emily Sonestedt at Lund University, Sweden. “Our study found that some high-fat dairy products may actually lower the risk of dementia, challenging some long-held assumptions about fat and brain health.”
For the study published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers analysed data from 27,670 people in Sweden with an average age of 58 at the start of the study.
Participants were followed for an average of 25 years and during that time 3,208 people developed dementia.
They answered questions about how often they eat certain foods and kept a food diary about what they ate each week.
Researchers compared people who ate 50 grams or more of high-fat cheese daily to people who ate less than 15 grams daily.
Of those who ate more high-fat cheese, 10 per cent developed dementia by the end of the study. Out of those who ate less, 13 per cent developed dementia.
After adjusting for age, sex, education and overall diet quality, researchers found that people who ate more high-fat cheese had a 13 per cent lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who ate less.
When looking at specific types of dementia, they found people who ate more high-fat cheese were almost 30 per cent less likely to develop vascular dementia.
Researchers also found a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease among those who ate more high-fat cheese, but only among those not carrying the APOE e4 gene variant — a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
No associations were found between dementia risk and eating low-fat cheese, low-fat cream, high- or low-fat milk, butter or fermented milk, which includes yogurt, kefir and buttermilk.
“More research is needed to confirm our study results and further explore whether consuming certain high-fat dairy truly offers some level of protection for the brain,” said Dr Sonestedt.
There are currently estimated to be 982,000 people with dementia in the UK, but more than a third of people with the condition do not have a diagnosis.
However, the study does not show cheese can reduce the risk of dementia – it only shows an association.
“This research does not show that eating more high fat dairy products, such as cheese or cream, can reduce our risk of developing dementia. We do know, however, that what is good for the heart is good for the head and so we recommend a healthy balanced diet,” Dr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at Alzheimer’s Society said.
Dr Oakley explains eating a healthy balanced diet, keeping physically active, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol can play a far greater role in reducing dementia risk than focusing on a single food.
