Cheese—A Nutritional Powerhouse that Can Help Protect Your Heart,
Brain and Bones
June 17, 2013
Story at-a-glance
Cheese contains the powerful nutritional triad of calcium,
vitamin D and vitamin K2, which together channel calcium into
your bones and teeth while keeping it out of your arteries;
this, combined with its omega-3 fats, make cheese a very
heart-healthy food
The cheese you select should be made from high-quality milk,
ideally raw organic milk from grass-pastured animals that are
never fed grain or soy; avoid processed “cheese foods” as they
contain chemical additives
Recent concerns about the salt content of natural cheese are
overblown when compared to the massive sodium levels in
processed food, especially when you take into account how much
processed food people typically consume
Excellent cheese picks due to their high K2 levels are Edam,
Gouda, and brie, but cheddar, Colby, hard goat cheese, Swiss and
Gruyere are good choices as well
By Dr. Mercola
If you’re a cheese lover struggling to resist cheese because
you’ve heard it’s not good for you, then brace yourself for some
really good news. Cheese can be an excellent source of
nutrition, a food you may want to include more of in your diet
rather than less.
Cheese, especially that made from the milk of grass-pastured
animals, is an excellent source of several important nutrients.
One of the most valuable nutrients in cheese is vitamin K2,
which the latest scientific studies indicate is even more
important to your heart, brain and bones than previously
thought. Cheese also provides a cornucopia of vitamins, minerals
(including calcium), protein, and fat.
Even if you’re lactose intolerant, there are many cheeses you
will likely tolerate just fine. Most of the lactose is removed
during the cheesemaking process. Pairing cheese with other foods
enhances your absorption of important nutrients.
This article aims to separate fact from myth and will provide
guidance on how you can incorporate your favorite cheeses into
your daily diet, with joy and gratitude instead of guilt.
Cheese Will Clog Up Your Arteries... and Other Food Fairytales
Although nobody knows for certain when or where cheesemaking
first began, cheese has been a staple for thousands of years.
Cheese dates back to the domestication of milk-producing
animals, between 8,000 and 10,000 years ago.1
The history of cheese can be traced back to the Roman Empire,
the Middle East, Tibet, Mongolia, the Ming Dynasty, and of
course Europe.
In spite of its rich history and enthusiastic fan base,
cheese is much maligned in America due to the
saturated fat/cholesterol myth.
Does eating cheese lead to obesity and heart disease?
Absolutely not! This unfortunate myth stems from an outdated and
seriously flawed hypothesis, perpetuated by decades of wildly
successful marketing.
Numerous recent studies have confirmed saturated fat is NOT
associated with obesity or heart disease and is actually
associated with improved heart health. Most Americans today are
consuming inadequate saturated fat. In fact, the
Greeks, French and Germans eat much more cheese than Americans
but enjoy lower rates of hypertension and obesity.2
I believe one of the primary factors driving obesity is
overconsumption of sugar, refined grain and processed food in the
standard American diet, made worse by a
sedentary lifestyle. Given these facts, many nutritional
experts believe that most people need 50 to 70 percent healthful
fats in their diet for optimal health, and I agree. Cheese is a
delicious way to help you meet that requirement Cheese holds a
wealth of good nutrition, including:
There is a difference between natural cheese and processed
“cheese foods.” Natural cheese is a simple
fermented dairy product, made with nothing more than a few
basic ingredients — milk, starter culture, salt and an enzyme
called rennet. Salt is a crucial ingredient for flavor, ripening
and preservation. You can tell a natural cheese by its label,
which will state the name of the cheese variety, such as
“cheddar cheese,” “blue cheese,” or “brie.” Real cheese requires
refrigeration.
The starter culture and cheesemaking methods are what give
each variety of cheese its particular taste, texture, shape and
nutritional profile. The following factors differentiate between
one variety of cheese and another:
Specific starter culture, which is the bacteria or mold
strains that ripen the cheese
Type of milk used (cow, sheep, goat, etc.), and the
conditions under which those animals were raised
Methods of curdling, cutting, cooking and forming the
curd
Ripening conditions such as temperature, humidity, and
aging time (curing)
Processed cheese or “cheese food” is a different story. These
products are typically pasteurized and otherwise adulterated
with a variety of additives that detract from their nutritional
value. The label will always include the words “pasteurized
process,” which should be your clue to walk on by. Velveeta3
is one example, with additives like sodium phosphate, sodium
citronate and various coloring agents. Another clue is that most
don’t require refrigeration. So, be it Velveeta, Cheese Whiz,
squeeze cheese, spray cheese, or some other imposter — these are
NOT real cheeses and should be banished from your shopping cart.
Raw Cheese from Pasture-Raised Animals is the Ultimate
Ideally, the cheese you consume should be made from the milk
of grass-fed animals raised on pasture, rather than grain-fed or
soy-fed animals confined to feedlot stalls. The biologically
appropriate diet for cows is grass, but 90 percent of standard
grocery store cheeses are made from the milk of
CAFO cows. These cheeses are nutritionally inferior to those
from grass-pastured animals. The higher quality the milk, the
higher the quality of the cheese... it’s just that simple.
Even cheesemakers will tell you that raw cheese has a richer
and deeper flavor than cheese made from pasteurized milk because
heat destroys the enzymes and good bacteria that add flavor to
the cheese. They explain that raw cheese has flavors that derive
from the pastureland that nourished the animals producing the
milk, much like wine is said to draw its unique flavors from
individual vineyards. Grass-fed dairy products not only taste
better, they are also nutritionally superior:
Cheese made from the milk of grass-fed cows has the
ideal omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratio of 2:1. By contrast, the
omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of grain-fed milk is heavily
weighted on the side of omega-6 fats (25:1), which are
already excessive in the standard American diet. Grass-fed
dairy combats inflammation in your body, whereas grain-fed
dairy contributes to it.
Grass-fed cheese contains about five times the CLA of
grain-fed cheese.
Because raw cheese is not
pasteurized, natural enzymes in the milk are preserved,
increasing its nutritional punch.
Grass-fed cheese is considerably higher in calcium,
magnesium, beta-carotene, and vitamins A, C, D and E.
Organic grass-fed cheese is free of antibiotics and
growth hormones.
The FDA Cracks Down on Raw Cheese
For years, federal regulators have been threatening to ban
raw milk products, including raw cheese, due to what they claim
are increased safety risks. Lately, they’ve begun targeting
artisan cheesemakers, as this is a fast growing industry in
America.4
However, the FDA’s crackdown on raw cheese is based on a
flawed argument.5
According to Grist, between 1973 and 1999 there’s not a single
report of illness from either raw or pasteurized cheeses.
However, since the year 2000, illnesses have begun to appear
from raw and pasteurized cheese alike. Most outbreaks have been
found to result from post-production contamination and laxity in
quality control, not lack of
pasteurization.
The truth is that raw cheese is not inherently dangerous,
provided high standards are followed in the cheesemaking
process. Hard cheeses like cheddar dry out as they age, making
them relatively inhospitable to invading bacteria. The
FDA’s attack on raw cheese is not based on facts, but simply
is an extension of their long-standing hostility toward raw milk
in general.
Salt Content Prompts Cries of ‘Cheesageddon’
Another recent concern is that cheese contains excessively
high levels of
salt. The Consensus Action on Salt and Health (CASH) is a
group interested in reducing the salt in processed foods and is
urging the cheese industry to reduce the amount of salt in
cheese.6
It is true that American food is the saltiest food in the world.
But how much is cheese responsible for the excess
sodium in the American diet?
Cheese looks like a minor player when you consider the amount
of salt in processed food and restaurant food, and how much more
of those are consumed than cheese. Take a look at the table
below, which compares salt levels in the saltiest cheeses and in
the saltiest restaurant dishes, and you’ll see what I mean. Keep
in mind that your sodium intake should be less than about 2,300
mg per day, which is approximately a teaspoon.
About 90 percent of the salt in the standard American diet
comes from packaged foods and
restaurant foods. Only about 11 percent is attributable to
the salt you add during cooking and at the dinner table. Your
sodium intake is even lower if you salt your food with natural
sea salt instead of processed salt. It seems clear to me that,
given all of the nutrition packed into a relatively small piece
of cheese, the sodium is not much of an issue, particularly if
you minimize processed or packaged foods and don’t eat out
often.
Cheese contains a synergistic blend of nutrients that make it
a veritable nutritional powerhouse. When consumed
together, vitamins K2 and
D3 and calcium are especially powerful for protecting your
bones, brain and heart. And cheese contains all three! I
recently interviewed
Dr. Kate Rheamue-Bleue, a Naturopathic Physician and author
of one of the most comprehensive books on vitamin K2. Vitamin K2
plays critical roles in protecting your heart, brain, and bones,
as well as giving you some protection from cancer.9
Not only does K2 help channel calcium into the proper areas of
your body (bones and teeth), it also prevents it from being
deposited in areas where it shouldn’t, such as your arteries and
soft tissues.
So, taking calcium supplements when you don’t have adequate
vitamin K2 is a setup for arterial calcification and
cardiovascular problems.
Since cheeses are all produced by different strains of
bacteria, they differ in their total vitamin K2 content, as well
as their K2 subtypes. Cheeses contain primarily subtypes MK-4,
MK-8 and MK-9, in varying proportions. MK-4 is the least
biologically active form (but the most abundant form in cheese),
so it takes more of it for your body to benefit. MK-7, MK-8 and
MK-9 stay active in your body longer so your body can benefit
from much lower levels.
According to a 2009 Dutch study,10
subtypes MK-7, MK-8 and MK-9 are associated with reduced
vascular calcification even at small dietary intakes (as low as
1 to 2 mcg per day).
When It Comes to K2, How Do Your Favorite Cheeses Stack Up?
In my interview with Dr. Rheamue-Bleue, she identified the
cheeses highest in K2 are Gouda and Brie, which contain about 75
mcg per ounce. Hard cheeses are about 30 percent higher in
vitamin K2 than soft cheeses. In perusing the nutritional tables
myself, I found it interesting that the cheeses highest in
vitamin K2 also tend to be the highest in protein and calcium —
so the most nutritious overall. Just realize that the values
listed for “vitamin K” in common nutritional tables are of
limited value because they don’t specify what TYPE of vitamin K
they’re measuring.
As it turns out, scientists have found high levels of MK-7 in
one type of cheese: Edam.11
This is wonderful news for those of you who would much rather
sit down to a slice of Edam than a bowl of natto! (Natto, a
strongly fermented Japanese soybean product, has the highest
MK-7 level of any food.)
Earlier, I made my case for selecting raw cheeses from
grass-pastured, grass-fed animals. However, cheese contains a
bacterially-derived form of K2, so it doesn’t matter if the
cheese was made from grass-fed milk or not — the bacteria used
to culture the cheese is the same. Grass-fed dairy is important
for the other reasons I’ve already discussed — just not
specifically for the K2.
To summarize then, if you’re going to select cheese with your
primary goal being a good source of vitamin K2, the best ones
are:
Gouda
Brie
Edam
Other cheeses with lesser, but significant, levels of
K2: Cheddar, Colby, hard goat cheese, Swiss, and Gruyere.12
Smile and Say Cheese!
Cheese lovers rejoice! Don’t be afraid to add healthy
high-quality cheese to your diet. Cheese offers a synergistic
blend of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and omega-3 fatty
acids, including the magic trio of
vitamin D3, vitamin
K2 and calcium. This nutrient triad is vitally important for
reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.
And don’t be afraid of raw cheese (as long as it comes from a
reputable cheesemaker), which beats ordinary cheese in both
taste and nutrition.
Your best option is cheese made from the milk of
pasture-raised cows, sheep and goats, as opposed to feedlot
livestock fed grain and soy.
Although some cheeses are fairly high in salt, their sodium
levels pale in comparison to those in common fast foods,
processed foods and popular restaurant entrees that make up a
large part of the standard American diet. My top picks are
Gouda, Brie, and Edam cheese, but you can’t go wrong with
high-quality cheddar, Swiss, Colby, Gruyere, and goat cheese.
For an extensive website about cheeses, including a database
that’s searchable by name, country of origin, type of milk, and
even texture, you might enjoy
Cheese.com.