Researchers in Sweden found a surprising link between eating more high fat cream and high fat cheeses and a lower risk of developing dementia after following 27,670 people for an average of 25 years during which 3,208 participants developed dementia. People who consumed 20 grams or more of high fat cream daily had a 16 percent lower risk of dementia than those who consumed none while people who ate 50 grams or more of high fat cheese had a 13 percent lower risk according to the study published in the journal Neurology. Professor Emily Sonestedt of Lund University says for decades the debate over high fat versus low fat diets has shaped health advice sometimes categorizing cheese as unhealthy but this study found that some high fat dairy products may actually lower the risk of dementia challenging long held assumptions about fat and brain health. When looking at specific types of dementia researchers found people who ate more high fat cheese had a 29 percent lower risk of vascular dementia.
No association was found for low fat dairy products butter milk or fermented milk. Of those who ate more high fat cheese 10 percent developed dementia by the end of the study compared to 13 percent of those who ate less with researchers emphasizing the study does not prove eating high fat cheese lowers dementia risk but only shows an association. The results being counterintuitive make the study compelling even though the association was small since one would normally guess that people who avoid cheese would make other healthy choices like exercise or eating more vegetables. Sonestedt says more research is needed to confirm these results and explore whether consuming certain high fat dairy truly offers some level of protection for the brain.
