What are the side effects of consuming a lot of cheese?

Side Effects of Consuming a Lot of Cheese

Consuming large amounts of cheese appears to have neutral or potentially beneficial effects on cardiovascular health and metabolic outcomes, contrary to previous concerns about its saturated fat content.

Cardiovascular Effects

Cheese consumption has shown surprising effects on cardiovascular health:

• Despite its high saturated fat content, cheese is associated with neutral or even beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes 1
• Meta-analyses of prospective studies indicate that cheese consumption is associated with reduced risk of total CVD (14% lower), coronary heart disease (14% lower), and stroke (10% lower) 2
• Mendelian randomization studies suggest causal inverse associations between cheese intake and type 2 diabetes, heart failure, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and ischemic stroke 3

Effects on Blood Lipids and Biomarkers

The impact of cheese on blood lipids is more complex than previously thought:

• In women, frequent cheese consumption is associated with higher HDL-C (good cholesterol) and lower LDL-C 4
• High-cheese diets can lead to 5% higher HDL-cholesterol and 8% higher apolipoprotein A-I concentrations compared to low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets 5
• Regular-fat cheese consumption does not significantly increase LDL cholesterol compared to reduced-fat cheese or carbohydrate-rich foods 6
• Cheese intake is associated with lower BMI, waist circumference, triglycerides, and fasting glucose levels 3

Weight and Body Composition Effects

The relationship between cheese and weight is complex:

• In men, frequent cheese consumption has been associated with higher BMI and waist circumference 4
• However, more recent evidence suggests cheese may have neutral or beneficial effects on weight when replacing carbohydrates 1
• The impact depends on how cheese is consumed: weight gain is more likely when cheese is eaten with refined carbohydrates, while weight loss may occur when cheese replaces refined carbohydrates 1

Metabolic Effects

Cheese has unique metabolic properties:

• Cheese consumption is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes 1, 3
• Dairy fat itself may promote cardiometabolic health, with biomarkers of dairy fat consumption associated with lower incidence of diabetes 1
• Cheese increases fecal fat excretion, which may partially explain its metabolic benefits 5

Mechanisms Behind Cheese's Effects

Several factors may explain why cheese doesn't have the negative effects expected from its saturated fat content:

• Cheese contains a complex food matrix with multiple beneficial components beyond fat 1
• Fermentation processes in cheese produce beneficial compounds like vitamin K2 (menaquinones), which may improve insulin sensitivity 1
• Cheese contains probiotics and bacterially produced bioactive peptides that may have positive health effects 1
• The saturated fatty acids in cheese have complex physiological effects that differ from their isolated impact on LDL-cholesterol 1

Potential Concerns with Excessive Cheese Consumption

Despite generally positive findings, some caution is warranted:

• High-protein diets that include significant cheese consumption may increase urinary calcium loss, potentially affecting bone health 1
• Cheese is high in sodium, which may contribute to increased blood pressure in sensitive individuals
• Individual responses to cheese consumption may vary, with some studies showing different effects between men and women 4

Practical Recommendations

When considering cheese consumption:

• Moderate cheese consumption (approximately 40g/day) appears to be associated with the greatest cardiovascular benefits 2
• The context of cheese consumption matters - eating cheese with vegetables and whole grains is preferable to consuming it with refined carbohydrates 1
• Regular-fat cheese appears to be as healthy as reduced-fat cheese in terms of cardiovascular and metabolic effects 6

In conclusion, while cheese is high in saturated fat and calories, its consumption in moderate amounts appears to have neutral or beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, contrary to previous dietary recommendations that emphasized low-fat dairy products.