CHEESE lovers rejoice — eating a portion of the good stuff could reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, a study shows.

Chowing down on a daily portion of 40 grams can slash the chances of developing heart disease by a staggering 14 per cent, reports The Sun.

Researchers in China found the same amount could lower the risk of a stroke by 10 per cent.

A British study carried out earlier in the year also found that almost one million people saw no increased risk with regular cheese consumption.

Scientists at Reading University said their findings questioned years of public health advice on limiting dairy foods intake.

Eating just 40 grams of cheese a day can cut the risk if developing heart disease by 14 per cent. Picture: ThinkstockSource:Supplied

Nutrition Australia recommends that Australian adults eat a minimum of 2.5 serves of dairy a day. One 40 gram serve of cheese accounts of one serve of dairy. The organisation recommends that more than 50 per cent of dairy intake be made up of reduced fat varieties. Cheese, in particular, can be high in kilojoules.

As a result, the British Heart Foundation recommends heart disease patients get the nutrients they might find in cheese from other products like milk and yoghurt, to cut down on kilojoules.

In the latest study, experts at Soochow University in Suzhou, China, pooled results from 15 earlier studies on cheese and heart risk.

This technique, called a meta-analysis, is often used when individual studies are too small to produce conclusive findings.

They found eating cheese frequently appeared to be beneficial for the heart rather than harmful.

Volunteers eating around 40g a day — about the size of a small matchbox — saw the greatest reduction in risk to their health.

In a report on their findings researchers said: “Cheese contains saturated fatty acids but also has potentially beneficial nutrients.

“It’s unclear how long-term consumption affects the development of cardiovascular disease.

“This study suggests an inverse association between cheese and health.”

According to Taste.com.au, Aussies consume about 13kg of cheese per person a year — an average of about 35.6g a day, which is just under the recommended amount.

Source: News AU
“Eating cheese may reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease, research finds”