You have a lactose intolerant friend, right? Does that friend, by chance, still eat dairy? Does your highly lactose intolerant friend love cheese so much that he or she will eat it no matter the consequences? Don't show that cheese-loving, lactose intolerant friend this article, though. We're about to dive in on a concept that would only help that friend "fight" the "good" fight. It turns out that some people think eating cheese is good for your heart.
Videos by Wide Open Country
According to Tasting Table's Andrew Bui, there's been some cheese-search done on many peoples' favorite dairy product. All signs point to it not being as bad for you as most would assume. That said, grab your grill and cold smoke some cheese at home. Or, perhaps, try your hand at making some cheese shot glasses. Moving on.
Bui cites two sources of pro-cheese research. The first is a university study from Pennsylvania.
Researchers at Penn State University have found that the dairy in cheese can have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system. Though they've yet to discover what exactly makes cheese beneficial in this way, early evidence points to milk proteins and dairy fat that help increase blood flow in the body.
We think we can get on board with this research. Whether cheese is for you or not, something about the combination of milk proteins and dairy-based fats helped blood pressure.
Worried about the sodium in your favorite spicy gouda? Don't be. The proteins and fats found in cheese seem to, potentially, cancel the negative impacts of sodium out. Do we think you should eat a block of aged cheddar daily? No. Do we think it's bad for you to have a piece or two at a cocktail party? By no means.
Italian researchers concur with the Penn State study. Aged cheeses can aid in lowering one's risk of heart failure and/or cardiovascular disease. It turns out that such cheeses have a compound, spermidine, that is to thank for this. Lactose intolerant or not, perhaps all of us have something positive to gain from a healthy dose of cheese every now and again.
