Here's a perfectly valid excuse to eat more cheese
When it comes to healthy eating, cheese has something of a bad rap and most of us try to avoid eating too much of it. But scientists have found that aged cheeses such as cheddar, brie and Parmesan could help boost life expectancy and even ward off liver cancer.
Researchers from Texas A&M University discovered that these types of cheese contain a chemical called spermidine which stops damaged liver cells from replicating. It means cheese potentially has the ability to prevent liver fibrosis – where scar tissue accumulates and damages the organ – and the most common form of liver cancer.
What did the scientists find?
The scientists performed experiments on mice – so sadly it might not totally translate to humans. They analysed spermidine treatment in mice over their entire lifespan. The team found the creatures' life expectancy increased by 25 per cent when they were given the supplement.
And if you're not a cheese fan, the scientists found mushrooms, soy products and whole grains gave similar benefits.
Further research will be required with trials on people and looking into whether spermidine can be made into a life-boosting supplement.
But the scientists also pointed out that people would probably need to begin eating (or taking a supplement of) spermidine from the time they begin eating solid food to see a significant improvement in their lifespan.
The team revealed there are three other things that have been shown to help animals live longer, according to scientific studies.
Leyuan Liu, assistant professor at the university said:
'Severely cutting the number of calories consumed, restricting the amount of methionine (a type of amino acid found in meat and other proteins) in the diet and using the drug rapamycin) have been shown to truly prolong the lifespans of vertebrates.'
Another reason to eat cheese
Three doctors have argued in a paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that the widely held belief among doctors and the public that saturated fats (such as those found in dairy products) clog up the arteries, and so cause coronary heart disease, is just 'plain wrong'. They say we need to shift our focus away from lowering blood fats and instead should take a brisk daily walk to minimise stress to stave off heart disease.
And according to recent research carried out at University College Dublin, people who eat a lot of cheese do not have higher cholesterol levels than those who don't.
However, Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation said that the claims in the BJSM were 'unhelpful and misleading'.
He said: 'Decades of research have proved that a diet rich in saturated fat increases 'bad' LDL cholesterol in your blood, which puts you at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke.'
(All images from Getty)
When it comes to healthy eating, cheese has something of a bad rap and most of us try to avoid eating too much of it. But scientists have found that aged cheeses such as cheddar, brie and Parmesan could help boost life expectancy and even ward off liver cancer.
Researchers from Texas A&M University discovered that these types of cheese contain a chemical called spermidine which stops damaged liver cells from replicating. It means cheese potentially has the ability to prevent liver fibrosis – where scar tissue accumulates and damages the organ – and the most common form of liver cancer.
What did the scientists find?
The scientists performed experiments on mice – so sadly it might not totally translate to humans. They analysed spermidine treatment in mice over their entire lifespan. The team found the creatures' life expectancy increased by 25 per cent when they were given the supplement.
And if you're not a cheese fan, the scientists found mushrooms, soy products and whole grains gave similar benefits.
Further research will be required with trials on people and looking into whether spermidine can be made into a life-boosting supplement.
But the scientists also pointed out that people would probably need to begin eating (or taking a supplement of) spermidine from the time they begin eating solid food to see a significant improvement in their lifespan.
The team revealed there are three other things that have been shown to help animals live longer, according to scientific studies.
Leyuan Liu, assistant professor at the university said:
'Severely cutting the number of calories consumed, restricting the amount of methionine (a type of amino acid found in meat and other proteins) in the diet and using the drug rapamycin) have been shown to truly prolong the lifespans of vertebrates.'
Another reason to eat cheese
Three doctors have argued in a paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that the widely held belief among doctors and the public that saturated fats (such as those found in dairy products) clog up the arteries, and so cause coronary heart disease, is just 'plain wrong'. They say we need to shift our focus away from lowering blood fats and instead should take a brisk daily walk to minimise stress to stave off heart disease.
And according to recent research carried out at University College Dublin, people who eat a lot of cheese do not have higher cholesterol levels than those who don't.
However, Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation said that the claims in the BJSM were 'unhelpful and misleading'.
He said: 'Decades of research have proved that a diet rich in saturated fat increases 'bad' LDL cholesterol in your blood, which puts you at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke.'
(All images from Getty)
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