According to a conducted study, participants who consumed at least two slices of fatty cheese daily had a 13% lower likelihood of developing dementia and a 29% lower likelihood of vascular dementia.
As reported by Euronews, a study conducted in Sweden showed that the consumption of cheese and high-fat cream is associated with a reduced risk of dementia.
The results of the study, published in the journal Neurology, indicate that individuals who regularly included fatty dairy products such as cheddar, brie, and gouda in their diet faced dementia less frequently over several decades of observation compared to those who consumed these products rarely.
The study involved 27,670 adult Swedes with an average age of 58 at the start. Participants were observed for approximately 25 years, during which 3,208 of them were diagnosed with dementia.
At the beginning of the study, participants provided information about their diet over the past week, filled out detailed questionnaires about their diet in previous years, and discussed cooking methods with researchers.
Researchers found that those who consumed at least 50 grams of fatty cheese daily (about two slices of cheddar) were less likely to suffer from dementia compared to those who ate less than 15 grams per day.
High-fat cheeses were defined as products with more than 20% fat, while fatty cream contained 30% to 40% fat.
After adjusting for factors such as gender, age, education level, and diet quality, higher cheese consumption was associated with a 13% reduction in dementia risk.
Emily Sonestedt, a nutritional epidemiologist from Lund University and the lead author of the study, noted: “When analyzing specific types of dementia, we found that people who consume more high-fat cheeses have a 29% lower risk of vascular dementia.”
She also added that a low risk of Alzheimer's disease was observed only in those who did not have the APOE e4 gene variant, which is a genetic risk factor for this disease.
Additionally, it was found that daily consumption of fatty cream is also associated with a lower risk of dementia. People who consumed at least 20 grams of cream per day (about one to two tablespoons) had a 16% lower risk compared to those who did not consume cream at all.
Not all dairy products are equally beneficial
It should be noted that not all dairy products showed the same positive correlation.
Sonestedt emphasized: “While fatty cheeses and cream are associated with a reduced risk of dementia, other dairy products and low-fat alternatives did not show a similar effect. Thus, not all dairy products are equally beneficial for brain health.”
Study limitations
Despite the encouraging results, experts warn that the study does not establish a causal relationship between the consumption of fatty dairy products and the reduced risk of dementia.
Dr. Richard Oakley from Alzheimer’s Society noted that factors such as physical activity, a balanced diet, quitting smoking, and moderate alcohol consumption are much more significant.
He added: “This study does not confirm that increasing the consumption of fatty dairy products, such as cheese or cream, can reduce the risk of dementia.”
According to him, quitting smoking, maintaining physical activity, and a healthy lifestyle play a more important role in reducing dementia risk than focusing on individual products.
Professor Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Edinburgh Centre for Brain Research, noted that participants' diets were assessed only once over the 25 years before the analysis of dementia diagnoses.
“It is highly likely that during this period, diet and other lifestyle factors changed,” she added, emphasizing that overall lifestyle remains a key aspect for brain health.
“Numerous studies confirm that a balanced diet, regular physical activity, and activities that stimulate cognitive functions contribute to brain resilience,” she added. “However, there is no reliable data that any specific product can protect against dementia.”
