Regular consumption of cheese may help reduce the risk of developing gallstones, a new scientific study suggests.
Around five million adults in the UK are thought to suffer from this painful condition, which occurs when an excessive amount of cholesterol builds up in the bile and gallbladder.
However, the research showed that people who ate cheese at least once a day were over 26 percent less likely to develop the condition. Even eating cheese just once a week was enough to reduce the risk by 13 percent, compared to those who didn't eat cheese at all.
According to researchers, one possible explanation is that the calcium in cheese may help the gallbladder empty more regularly, preventing cholesterol from crystallizing into stones. Cheese may also increase levels of “good” cholesterol, known as HDL-C, which helps the body transport cholesterol safely, reducing the amount that is deposited in the bile. These findings come from scientists at Lanzhou University in China.
Gallstone disease, otherwise known as cholelithiasis, can cause severe pain when stones — composed mainly of cholesterol — build up and block the bile ducts.
It is often associated with rapid weight loss, and studies show that about one in 100 people who use weight loss injections, like Mounjaro, may develop gallbladder problems. Gallstones can also occur in people who consume a lot of refined carbohydrates or those who suffer from type 2 diabetes.
Many people who have previously had gallstones are advised by the NHS to avoid foods high in saturated fat — such as cheese — as they can trigger gallstone pain in some individuals.
However, evidence is mounting that cheese may also have a protective role against this condition in people who have never had gallstones.
In the largest study to date, researchers compared the dietary habits of nearly 400,000 adults in the United Kingdom with their risk of a gallstone diagnosis. Over a 10-year period, about 4 percent of them developed cholelithiasis.
The results showed that consuming cheese once a week was associated with a 13 percent reduction in risk; two to four times a week reduced the risk by 20 percent; while daily consumption brought the greatest benefit, with a 26.3 percent reduction.
Writing in the scientific journal NPJ Science of Food, the researchers noted that "these findings highlight the potential role of cheese as a modifiable dietary factor in gallstone prevention, in part through HDL-C cholesterol."
They added that further studies are needed to explore other biological mechanisms and confirm these links, in order to support public health recommendations. /GazetaExpress/
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