Eating cheese at least once a week could help reduce your chances of developing dementia, according to a new study.
Scientists in Japan analysed around 8,000 participants aged 65 or under, and tested an equal number of cheese consumers to non-cheese consumers to determine how dairy intake impacts cognitive health.
They found that the danger of dementia was 24 per cent lower in those who ate a weekly piece of cheese than those who did not, as published in the scientific journal Nutrients.
By the end of the three year study, 3.4 per cent of cheese consumers developed dementia compared to 4.45 per cent of non-consumers.
Although this amounts to only a 1.06 per cent difference, it also equates to approximately 10.6 fewer cases of dementia per 1,000 participants.
The study, published in the journal Nutrients, also found those in the cheese-eating who went on to develop dementia did so slightly later than their non-cheese eating counterparts, with those who consumed cheese being diagnosed an average of seven days later than those who didn’t.
One possible explanation the scientists pose for why cheese lowers the risk of dementia is that they contain proteins and essential amino acids which support neuronal maintenance and protect them from damage.
Cheeses also consist of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin K2, which help maintain stable levels of calcium in the blood - crucial for vascular health.
Other factors such as broader dietary behaviours and socioeconomic factors such as income and education were also considered. For example how often a participant consumed meat or fish, as well as fruits and vegetables was also recorded. Even factoring these in, the risk of dementia was 24 per cent lower in cheese consumers.
The researchers wrote in the journal: “Although the absolute risk reduction was slight, the findings are consistent with prior evidence suggesting potential cognitive benefits of fermented dairy products.
Among consumers, the majority reported eating cheese one to two times per week (72.1 per cent), while smaller proportions reported eating it between three and five times per week.
The most common cheese type consumed was processed cheese (82.7 per cent) followed by white mould cheese (7.8 per cent) - creamy soft cheese with a layer of white skin such as brie or camembert.
The study concluded that there needs to be further research conducted to clarify dose–response relationships, cheese subtypes, and other underlying factors before definitive recommendations are made.
More than 50 million people worldwide were living with dementia in 2021 and this number is projected to more than triple by 2050, according to the WHO’s Global Status Report on the Public Health Response to Dementia.
In the UK, one in 11 people over the age of 65 have dementia, which equates to around 944,000 people.
