Regular consumption of cheese - at least once a week - may reduce the likelihood of developing dementia. This was shown by a study published in the journal Nutrients.
Researchers based their study on data from approximately 8,000 Japanese individuals aged 65 and older, comparing the cognitive health of two groups - those who regularly consumed cheese and those who rarely or never included this dairy product in their diet.
The elderly were monitored as part of the national JAGES project from 2019 to 2022. Researchers noted that regular cheese consumers had a dementia development rate over three years that was 24% lower than that of those who did not eat cheese.
By the end of the long-term project, dementia was diagnosed in 3.4% of cheese consumers, while in the other group, the proportion of those affected was 4.45%. The difference may seem small, but experts point to a trend - in the first group, there were 10 fewer cases of dementia per thousand elderly individuals.
How is cheese beneficial for the brain?
Experts cite several possible reasons. The published article notes that cheese "contains proteins and essential amino acids that support neuron function, as well as fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin K2, which plays a role in vascular health and calcium homeostasis."
There is also evidence that fermented dairy products may reduce inflammatory processes in the body, positively affecting the gut-brain axis. The authors of the article remind that cheeses also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, which, in turn, are believed to trigger dementia.
However, researchers caution that the results obtained should not be interpreted as definitive proof that cheese prevents dementia. According to scientists, the effect of cheese consumption in Japan may be particularly pronounced due to the low overall consumption of dairy products.
In 2021, more than 50 million people worldwide were living with dementia, and according to WHO forecasts, this number could increase more than threefold by 2050.
