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multigraincracker

(37,990 posts)
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 11:06 AM Feb 2026

A 25-year study found an unexpected link between cheese and dementia

Loughborough University
Summary:
A massive Swedish study tracking nearly 28,000 people for 25 years found an unexpected link between full-fat dairy and brain health. Among adults without a genetic risk for Alzheimer’s, eating more full-fat cheese was associated with a noticeably lower risk of developing the disease, while higher cream intake was tied to reduced dementia risk overall. The findings challenge decades of low-fat dietary advice but come with important caveats.
https://sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/260203030540.htm

41 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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A 25-year study found an unexpected link between cheese and dementia (Original Post) multigraincracker Feb 2026 OP
Little did I know EYESORE 9001 Feb 2026 #1
Not to mention BonnieJW Feb 2026 #26
You had me worried, I eat a lot of cheese dickthegrouch Feb 2026 #2
Same here PatSeg Feb 2026 #12
I'm a bit addicted to very sharp aged cheddars - so this is great news. Also like Stiltons, bries, etc., etc., etc. erronis Feb 2026 #3
Me, too. Bumbles Feb 2026 #19
It is a retrospective study, not a double blind study, and also doesn't factor in other variables. lostincalifornia Feb 2026 #4
It calls for further study and explains that. multigraincracker Feb 2026 #6
I wasn't disparaging anything. I was just pointing out that it was a retrospective observation. In addition there are lostincalifornia Feb 2026 #8
Whew!...I live half hour away from Pinconning, Mi. ... MiHale Feb 2026 #5
I've stopped there many time and multigraincracker Feb 2026 #7
Looks like I can keep getting my Dubliner Irish cheese & Kerrygold butter from grass-fed Irish cows. NBachers Feb 2026 #9
That's my favorite! DUgosh Feb 2026 #10
Best butter on the planet. SergeStorms Feb 2026 #23
I think this final paragrah mwmisses4289 Feb 2026 #11
I believe we've been going through a course correction from the belief that whole milk and associated products are Martin68 Feb 2026 #14
Unfortunately "factory farm" dairy is bad for the natural environment, not to mention the cows. hunter Feb 2026 #32
I've been fortunate that my family, and my Japanese wife, all love cheese as much as I do. Martin68 Feb 2026 #34
Then I am well-protected. Martin68 Feb 2026 #13
I'm on my way to Hoggy-days as soon as I finish posting this. 3Hotdogs Feb 2026 #15
Good! I'm a cheese lover. CaptainTruth Feb 2026 #16
Yea! Jean Genie Feb 2026 #17
So, pick your poison! Mtnmama Feb 2026 #18
Like they say, "different strokes for different folks." Igel Feb 13 #40
Excellent, but like you said--caveats. pandr32 Feb 2026 #20
wonder if there is some sort of wealth/lifestyle link there JT45242 Feb 2026 #21
My husband's been telling me this for years. He just turned 79, by the way and has all his wits about him. Vinca Feb 2026 #22
I don't want to know the caveats! LymphocyteLover Feb 2026 #24
I wonder if the same would extend to BUTTER!!! maspaha Feb 2026 #25
Actually, 80% butterfat PhylliPretzel Feb 2026 #33
If only I could afford Ghee. Ferrets are Cool Feb 11 #39
I now live in cheese paradise. GoneOffShore Feb 2026 #27
"How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?" - Charles de Gaulle eppur_se_muova Feb 2026 #36
I wonder AncientOfDays Feb 2026 #28
Old world diets included whole milk dairy, goat's milk and various cheeses bucolic_frolic Feb 2026 #29
Negative thinker. I automatically took the topic headline as a bad result. Norrrm Feb 2026 #30
My initial reaction was "Oh, nooooooo !". Seldom been happier to be wrong ! eppur_se_muova Feb 2026 #37
Correlation is not causation dlk Feb 2026 #31
I guess that Amish cheese online is safe! GreenWave Feb 2026 #35
Not to be flippant, but between this study and the one on coffee drinking, I should be just fine. Ferrets are Cool Feb 11 #38
I work in a dairy factory and get paid to taste test cottage cheese all day NickB79 Feb 17 #41

PatSeg

(53,448 posts)
12. Same here
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 12:34 PM
Feb 2026

and I drink whole milk and eat whole milk yogurt. The body needs fat to absorb vitamin D and calcium.

erronis

(24,424 posts)
3. I'm a bit addicted to very sharp aged cheddars - so this is great news. Also like Stiltons, bries, etc., etc., etc.
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 11:17 AM
Feb 2026

Bumbles

(472 posts)
19. Me, too.
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 12:53 PM
Feb 2026

Perhaps a hereditary addiction. Though it could use more studying, at 83 I'll accept the current supposition.

multigraincracker

(37,990 posts)
6. It calls for further study and explains that.
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 11:31 AM
Feb 2026

It found a possible result and ask for further investigation.
It is published in a journal and explains that. This is not FOX news.
That’s how science works. Research is found and future study is sought to confirm it. If you see a possible problem or sample error, please point that out and design a study with more accurate study sample to confirm or deny the results. That is what is stated.

lostincalifornia

(5,501 posts)
8. I wasn't disparaging anything. I was just pointing out that it was a retrospective observation. In addition there are
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 11:42 AM
Feb 2026

other issues which I didn't mention such as cardiovascular issues, genetic factors, etc.


MiHale

(13,144 posts)
5. Whew!...I live half hour away from Pinconning, Mi. ...
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 11:28 AM
Feb 2026

The cheese making capital of Michigan. Some of the freshest and best cheeses around. We eat a lot of cheese.
Glad to know they’re looking out for our healthy minds.

multigraincracker

(37,990 posts)
7. I've stopped there many time and
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 11:35 AM
Feb 2026

left with lots of cheese. Usually some Pinconming Cheese in my bag. 👍

NBachers

(19,554 posts)
9. Looks like I can keep getting my Dubliner Irish cheese & Kerrygold butter from grass-fed Irish cows.
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 11:42 AM
Feb 2026

mwmisses4289

(4,631 posts)
11. I think this final paragrah
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 12:29 PM
Feb 2026

"That said, the data do not justify eating large amounts of cheese or cream as protective foods against dementia or heart disease. The most consistent message remains that balanced diets, moderation and overall lifestyle matter far more than any single item on the cheese board."

Healthy overall diets and lifestyles, like those found in Asia and around the Mediterranean, seem to be the best.

Martin68

(28,042 posts)
14. I believe we've been going through a course correction from the belief that whole milk and associated products are
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 12:37 PM
Feb 2026

always bad for you, no matter what. Moderation and variety is the key.

hunter

(40,830 posts)
32. Unfortunately "factory farm" dairy is bad for the natural environment, not to mention the cows.
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 02:10 PM
Feb 2026

Milk and cheese would be expensive luxury foods if all of it was produced in ways that respected both the animals and the environment.

Many people in my family, including my wife, are lactose intolerant (they have ancestors who did not keep cows) which is one reason there is never any whole milk in my refrigerator.

I do buy cheese however, even the kinds that originate in factory farms.

Martin68

(28,042 posts)
34. I've been fortunate that my family, and my Japanese wife, all love cheese as much as I do.
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 02:32 PM
Feb 2026

Igel

(37,610 posts)
40. Like they say, "different strokes for different folks."
Fri Feb 13, 2026, 04:17 PM
Feb 13

Oh, wait, that's a third option.

pandr32

(14,307 posts)
20. Excellent, but like you said--caveats.
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 12:53 PM
Feb 2026

We eat way too much processed cheese in the U.S. I doubt it would help much, if at all.
Say no to Velveeta, American cheese slices, and canned Queso cheese dip.

JT45242

(4,108 posts)
21. wonder if there is some sort of wealth/lifestyle link there
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 01:15 PM
Feb 2026

Ignoring the correlation is not causality -- a large number of these food studies really are proxies for wealth, lifestyle, and regional stressors for disease.

For example, I could easily have found that eating spaghetti topped with chili that contains Greek and Turkish spices including cinnamon and chocolate and topped with finely shredded cheddar cheese was strongly correlated with higher than average cancer rates since the 1970s. But that is really just a proxy for living in Cincinnati and eating the local cuisine.

Vinca

(54,288 posts)
22. My husband's been telling me this for years. He just turned 79, by the way and has all his wits about him.
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 01:22 PM
Feb 2026

My 77 years has been continually failing at dieting so I'm still fairly sharp, too. Love the Tillamook Ice Cream!

PhylliPretzel

(225 posts)
33. Actually, 80% butterfat
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 02:24 PM
Feb 2026

Butter is only 80% fat, or 20% fat free. :~) This is why you can't substitute one-for-one butter for oils or hydrogenated shortenings in baked goods.
Ghee and other clarified butters are nearly 100% fat.
(Retired Teacher of Home Economics)

GoneOffShore

(18,031 posts)
27. I now live in cheese paradise.
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 01:48 PM
Feb 2026

There are apparently between 1000 and 1600 varieties of cheese here in France.
Walk into a big supermarket and there will be one aisle entirely devoted to cheese. There are at least 10 cheese shops within walking distance of my flat. There are more on the outskirts. The town has 150K inhabitants.

eppur_se_muova

(42,400 posts)
36. "How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?" - Charles de Gaulle
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 11:30 PM
Feb 2026

Apparently, this was an underestimate, even at the time.

Happily so.

bucolic_frolic

(55,715 posts)
29. Old world diets included whole milk dairy, goat's milk and various cheeses
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 01:54 PM
Feb 2026

Today the equivalent products would be organic, grass fed. I read an article somewhere that rec'd ricotta for prostate protection. This at a time when 1% milk was considered part of the perfect diet. It's all about gut health, the whole fat products filter and protect the GI tract.

eppur_se_muova

(42,400 posts)
37. My initial reaction was "Oh, nooooooo !". Seldom been happier to be wrong !
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 11:33 PM
Feb 2026

Despite eating vegetarian as much as possible, I do enjoy a cheese snack occasionally. And I enjoy Indian cooking too much to do without yogurt or ghee.

dlk

(13,320 posts)
31. Correlation is not causation
Mon Feb 9, 2026, 01:56 PM
Feb 2026

And is Rule Number One of scientific research. This is why double blind studies are the gold standard.

NickB79

(20,397 posts)
41. I work in a dairy factory and get paid to taste test cottage cheese all day
Tue Feb 17, 2026, 05:45 PM
Feb 17

I'm 46 but two new hires in the past year told me I look 35.

I'm going to live forever!!!!!

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