Saturated fats in dairy do not increase the risk of heart disease
Previous research suggests saturated fats found in yoghurt, cheese, butter and milk do not increase the risk of heart disease.
Eating full-fat dairy actually reduces a person's risk of dying from a stroke by 42 per cent, a study found.
Lead author Dr Marcia Otto, from the University of Texas, Houston, said: 'Our findings not only support, but also significantly strengthen, the growing body of evidence which suggests that dairy fat, contrary to popular belief, does not increase risk of heart disease or overall mortality in older adults.
'In addition to not contributing to death, the results suggest that one fatty acid present in dairy may lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, particularly from stroke.'
Dietary guidelines in the US and UK recommend people people opt for low or no-fat dairy, however, the researchers warn such options are often high in sugar, which can drive heart disease.
Eating half a block of full-fat cheese a day lowers a person's so-called 'bad' cholesterol levels, new research suggests.
Those who indulge in a 120g serving of full-fat cheese every day for six weeks have significantly lower bad cholesterol levels than those who opt for low-fat alternatives, a study found.
This contradicts previous claims that cheese, such as cheddar and stilton, can block a person's arteries because they are high in saturated fat, increasing their risk of suffering a heart attack.
Full-fat cheese is thought to lower cholesterol more than other forms of dairy, such as butter, due to the way its nutrients, like calcium and the protein casein, are arranged in the 'cheese matrix'.
Lead author Dr Emma Feeney, from University College Dublin, said: 'We need to stop thinking about foods in terms of their fat and their saturated fat content, and thinking about them as a whole food.'
Although Dr Feeney does not recommend people eat a 120g portion of cheese every day, she adds: 'The recommended portions of cheese are not going to do you any harm.'
Eating half a block of cheese a day lowers a person's so-called 'bad' cholesterol levels (stock) +2
Eating half a block of cheese a day lowers a person's so-called 'bad' cholesterol levels
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