Mmmm, cheese -- a food as nutritious as it is delicious. Or is it?
On the one hand, cheese is an excellent source of minerals like calcium and magnesium, vitamins A, B2 and B12, not to mention being a complete protein.
On the other hand, cheese is also a significant source of saturated fat and sodium in our diets. To lower saturated fat intake, consuming reduced-fat cheese is sometimes recommended to lower cardiovascular disease risk.
Paradoxically, however, there is now a growing body of evidence that people who eat lots of cheese do not have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, including Type 2 diabetes.
Our research team at the University of Alberta examined the impact of both reduced- and regular-fat cheese on insulin resistance in the bodies of pre-diabetic rats. We found that both types of cheese reduced insulin resistance, which is important to maintain normal blood sugars.
Cheese and insulin resistance
Insulin resistance is a condition that commonly develops with ageing and obesity, leading to high blood glucose, and risk factor of CVD and Type 2 diabetes.
Our objective was to compare how consuming reduced- versus regular-fat cheese affected insulin resistance, and to explore biochemical mechanisms that might explain any observed effects.
We used a rat model of insulin resistance that shares many characteristics with humans. We created the model by feeding the rats high amounts of lard. After four weeks, the rats were divided into three groups: 1) lard diet, 2) lard diet and reduced-fat cheddar cheese, 3) lard diet and regular fat cheddar cheese.
All the diets had the same total amount of fat, only the source of it varied (lard versus cheese). The rats ate these diets for eight more weeks.
The most interesting finding in our research was that both reduced- and regular-fat cheddar cheese reduced insulin resistance in the rats. This suggests that the beneficial effects of cheese might not be related to the amount of fat but to some other component, such as the protein or the calcium.