When it comes to heart-healthy foods, it's common to remember nuts, avocados, and berries, for example. However, rarely does anyone mention mozzarella or parmesan, do they? The good news is that cheese can be included in the list of heart-healthy foods.
This is at least what a survey conducted by the Pennsylvania State University in the United States suggests. In the study, participants were put on four different diets over the course of eight days. Thus, they each had a difference in the amount of sodium and dairy products consumed. As a result, the high-sodium diet caused participants to develop vascular dysfunction when they avoided dairy products. However, it had no negative effect on the same diet when they received four servings of cheese per day.
According to Billy Alba, one of the lead authors of the study, these results can help balance the consumption of tasty foods like cheese, for example, and reduce the health risks associated with excessive sodium consumption. So, scientists believe that this result is most likely due to some of the antioxidants found in cheese.
Read more: Foods That Protect Your Heart
Other Results
Similarly, another survey conducted by the European Journal of Nutrition in 2017 found that eating almost 30g of cheese a day can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
However, a review of studies in the European Journal of Epidemiology found a more neutral association between high-fat and low-fat dairy product choices and the risk of heart disease and mortality. Although the research hasn't shown that eating cheese increases the risk, they haven't been able to say it doesn't.
However, we still need to be careful about saturated fat and sodium intake for a healthy heart, as many people consume foods that contain these ingredients in excess. Plus, research shows that eating lots of foods high in saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease.
Thus, the recommended dairy intake under current dietary guidelines is about three servings (or less) per day, plus 10% or less of your daily calories from saturated fat.
Discover the Nutritional Classification Of The Most Common Cheeses
- Cowardice
- Caloric value: 41 calories
- Total fat: 2.1 grams
- Saturated fat: 1.5 grams
- Protein: 4.5 grams
- Sodium: 120mg
- Calcium: 42mg
- Ricotta
- Caloric value: 52 calories
- Total fat: 3.6 grams
- Saturated fat: 2.4 grams
- Protein: 3.3 grams
- Sodium: 25.2mg
- Calcium: 62.1mg
- Light cream cheese
- Caloric value: 77 calories
- Total fat: 7 grams
- Saturated fatty acids: 4.1 grams
- Protein: 2.8 grams
- Sodium: 167.4mg
- Calcium: 77.7mg
- Fresh Minas cheese
- Caloric value: 79 calories
- Total fat: 6 grams
- Saturated fat: 3.4 grams
- Protein: 5.2 grams
- Sodium: 125mg
- Calcium: 173.7mg
- Mozzarella cheese
- Caloric value: 90 calories
- Total fat: 7.5 grams
- Saturated fat: 4.2 grams
- Protein: 6.8 grams
- Sodium: 174.3mg
- Calcium: 262mg
- Buffalo mozzarella
- Caloric value: 95 calories
- Total fat: 7.2 grams
- Saturated fat: 4.5 grams
- Protein: 6.3 grams
- Sodium: 124.5mg
- Calcium: 172.5mg
- Cheese plate
- Caloric value: 108 calories
- Total fat: 8.7 grams
- Saturated fat: 4.8 grams
- Protein: 6.8 grams
- Sodium: 174mg
- Calcium: 282mg
The Health Benefits Of Cheese
Among the benefits found in cheese are, above all, the nutrients essential to our health. In this sense, it contains nutrients with important functions, such as those necessary for the strengthening of bones, the protection of the heart and even mental health. We thus find in cheese vitamins A, B2, B12, D and K2, each of which acts in a specific way in the body. Vitamin D, for example, is very important for the synthesis of calcium. On the other hand, K2 plays an important role in maintaining bone and heart health.
In addition, cheese is an excellent source of protein, that is, it is rich in essential amino acids and has good digestibility. This means that its absorption occurs almost entirely in the intestines, thereby supplying the body with important amino acids. These amino acids promote health, reduce blood pressure and increase the absorption of minerals from the digestive tract.
Cheese is also rich in minerals important for health, such as calcium, phosphorus, selenium, zinc and sodium, for example. Calcium is important for healthy bones, including teeth. Zinc is important in the immune system. Selenium, in turn, has antioxidant properties, which are essential in fighting cell-damaging free radicals.
The Best Proteins For Cardiovascular Health
Fish
Fish meat is one of the best options for those who want to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Thus, according to the Circulation Journal of the American Heart Association, the ideal is to eat fish twice a week.
Oilseeds And Pulses
Studies claim that nuts are the best sources of protein for heart health. In this way, the options are not lacking. Nuts, for example, help lower blood pressure. Almonds, cashews, pecans, peanuts, and more are also heart-healthy friends. As for legumes, the list includes all kinds of beans, such as lentils and chickpeas, for example.
Read more: Does Peanut Butter Help You Lose Weight?
The Birds
In addition to fish, poultry meat is also a good protein choice, as it contains less fat. In this sense, chicken and turkey, for example, are sources of protein that are beneficial for cardiovascular health. Additionally, studies show that those who eat one serving of poultry meat per day have a 19% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, the same benefit was not found in people who ate the same amount of processed red meat daily.
Dairy Products
In addition to cheese, low-fat dairy products are preferred when it comes to protein sources. Some options are skim milk, cottage cheese and yogurt, such as Greek, for example, as well as sour cream, also called sour cream.
Dairy products help prevent diabetes and high blood pressure
According to a study conducted by Hamilton and McMaster Health University, increasing your dairy intake can help prevent diabetes and high blood pressure. In addition to cheese, milk and yogurt also increase the health benefits.
Scientists analyzed more than a thousand patients to understand the possible positive effects of consuming dairy products. In total, people from 21 countries, aged between 35 and 70, were analyzed. Ultimately, the researchers concluded that a high intake of dairy products is associated with a lower risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
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