This episode’s guests were speakers on the Ruminant Nutrition Platform Session: discussing the numerous health benefits associated with cheese at the ADSA 2025 Annual Meeting.
Health Benefits of Cheese
Timestamps:
Dr. Ricklefs-Johnson talks about bone health and cardiovascular advantages that come from eating cheese. Calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins D, K, and B12 are all important for bone health, and cheese is a good source of each. In the past, saturated fat in cheese would have been demonized, but research is finding that saturated fat isn’t created equally across all food types, and cheese has many unique fatty acids. Cheese consumption is associated with reduced risks of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Cheese contains bioactive peptides that appear to help lower blood pressure and further illustrates the health benefits of cheese. (4:18)
The panel discusses the mechanisms of action of cheese consumption on cardiovascular health, how much cheese is recommended daily, and whether different cheeses have different health benefits. Dr. Ricklefs-Johnson explains that the protein in cheese is primarily in the form of casein, rather than whey. Casein had been less utilized as it was thought harder to digest, but more research is showing the benefits of casein in muscle recovery and helping with sleep. By the way, cheese delivers multiple health benefits, both nutritional and functional. (8:27)
Research supports that calcium from cow milk sources is more bioavailable compared to supplements or fortified calcium in plant milks. Cheese is also unique as a dairy food that contains vitamin K, which works in conjunction with vitamin D and calcium for maintaining bone mass. As such, cheese should be acknowledged for its health benefits. (15:07)
The panel visits about some of the other presentations at the symposium, including feeding cows to influence vitamin K or fatty acids in the milk and how to get the word out about the many health benefits cheese offers. (19:16)
Panelists share their take-home thoughts. It’s clear that cheese contributes several health benefits to our diets. (26:29)
Conclusion
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