Diabetes: Eating this cheese daily could reduce sugar levels, research shows

Cheese is a well-loved dairy product, but one like most things we like, eating too much of it could have serious implications, in this case affecting cardiovascular health. Now, a team of researchers has found that you can enjoy a particular type of cheese and reap all the health benefits without the risks, Euro News reports.

Jarlsberg cheese

A team of Norwegian researchers have found that eating a daily portion (around 57 g) of Jarlsberg cheese – native to the Eastern Norwegian town with the same name – may actually help stop bones getting weaker without boosting cholesterol.

They believe that the cheese contains nutrients necessary for the production of the protein osteocalcin – the hormone produced by osteoblast, the cells responsible for building bones. The team is certain these health benefits are unique to this mild and semi-soft, nutty flavoured cheese made from cow’s milk.

Professor Sumantra Ray is the Executive Director for the NNEdPro Global Centre for Nutrition and Health:

Different methods of preparation mean there are key differences in the nutrient composition of cheese which has often been regarded as a homogenous food item in dietary research to date. This needs to be addressed in future studies

The study

To arrive at this conclusion, the researchers recruited 66 female volunteers who then spilt into two groups. Over a six-week period, one group was asked to consume 57 grams of Jarlsberg daily while the other consumed another type of cheese, switching after the period.

Results of blood samples collected from the participants showed that those assigned to Jarlsberg cheese had a ‘significant reduction’ in HbA1c, the haemoglobin that measures the amount of blood sugar attached to blood cells.

However, the team says more research is needed to determine other variables as the sample size was relatively small and limited.

As this is a small study in young and healthy people designed to explore novel pathways linking diet and bone health, the results need to be interpreted with great caution as the study participants will not necessarily be representative of other groups. And it shouldn’t be taken as a recommendation to eat a particular type of cheese

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